Partnering with a peer to improve responses to brief health programs
Official title: Partnering to Enhance Emerging Adults' Response to Programs (PEER)
Run by UConn Health · NCT06115252 · Data updated 2026-11-12
We will test whether doing a short motivational-interviewing program together with a peer changes brain activity and alcohol-related behaviors over a year in emerging adults.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 24 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 248 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | UConn Health Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Dallas, Texas) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | October 10, 2025 |
| Main results expected | March 31, 2028 |
| Study ends | March 31, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | August 25, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06115252 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Emerging adults who can attend an in-person Participation Day with a peer, are eligible for MRI scanning, agree to follow-up contacts, and provide informed consent are the intended participants.
✕Probably not a fit
People who cannot have an MRI (including those with metal implants or who are pregnant), are left-handed, have major neurological disorders, or cannot bring a peer are unlikely to participate or benefit from this protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Participants and a peer come for a single Participation Day during which each person first completes questionnaires on their own, then they complete a brief motivational interviewing–based health program together. During the visit participants undergo functional MRI while completing tasks designed to probe brain responses to the intervention. The team will contact each participant individually at 3, 6, and 12 months to track health behaviors over time. Standard MRI exclusions (e.g., unremovable metal, pregnancy), left-handedness, and history of major neurological illness or prolonged loss of consciousness are reasons for exclusion.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to peer-based programs that change brain responses and reduce risky alcohol-related behaviors in young adults.
How similar studies have gone: Motivational interviewing and peer-involved interventions have shown mixed but promising effects on young adult drinking, while combining peer co-participation with fMRI to study mechanisms is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * within the specified age range * agree to be contacted for the 3, 6, and 12 month follow ups * provide fully informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * left-handed * evidence of brain injury/illness and/or neurological, neurodevelopmental disorder including psychosis and related medications (e.g., antipsychotics; neuroleptics) * loss of consciousness ≥ 2 minutes * other fMRI contraindications (e.g., unremovable metal on/in body, pregnant)
Where it's running
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University of Texas Dallas
Dallas, Texas, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Sarah W. Feldstein Ewing, PhD — UConn Health
- Study coordinator: Karen Hudson, MCR
- Email: khudson@uchc.edu
- Phone: 860-679-1037
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.