Web program to help partners use real-time feedback to support a loved one who drinks heavily
Official title: Using Ecological Momentary Data to Inform a Web-intervention for Romantic Partners Concerned About Their Loved Ones Drinking
Run by Stanford University · NCT06501677 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try a web-based program that gives concerned partners personalized communication feedback based on real-time reports to help them support a loved one who drinks heavily.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 275 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Stanford University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Portland, Oregon) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | April 22, 2025 |
| Main results expected | August 2026 |
| Study ends | August 2027 |
| Registry record updated | April 27, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06501677 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are adults living with a romantic partner who is concerned about that partner's heavy drinking, where the concerned partner is not themselves a heavy drinker, both have internet access, and neither fears partner violence.
✕Probably not a fit
People already in treatment for alcohol use, those planning to separate from their partner, those who report unsafe situations or partner violence, or partners who themselves drink heavily are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
The project collects real-time ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and dyadic data from both partners, along with qualitative and quantitative measures, to identify which partner communication behaviors increase or decrease drinking and relationship problems. Those findings will be used to adapt elements of Community Reinforcement and Family Therapy (CRAFT) into a web-based intervention (WBI) focused on the concerned partner. The WBI will deliver communication-based personalized feedback and skills to motivate reductions in the drinking partner's use and improve relationship functioning. The intervention aims to be a lower-burden, scalable alternative to multi-session in-person CRAFT.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the web program could help partners use more effective communication to reduce a loved one's drinking and improve relationship well-being without needing many in-person therapy sessions.
How similar studies have gone: Face-to-face CRAFT has reliably increased treatment entry for drinking partners and improved concerned partners' outcomes, but adapting CRAFT into an EMA-informed web intervention is novel and less tested.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Concerned Partners: Inclusion Criteria: * be at least 18 years of age * be in a romantic relationship * live with their partner * have a computer, tablet, or phone with internet access * have no plans to separate from partner in next 60 days * feel safe from partner violence Exclusion Criteria: * report 4/5+ on the AUDIT-C Drinking Partners: Inclusion Criteria: * be at least 18 years of age * report 4/5+ on the AUDIT-C * have a computer, tablet, or phone with internet access * feel safe from partner violence Exclusion Criteria: * in current treatment for alcohol * concern about their CPs drinking
Where it's running
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Portland State University
Portland, Oregon, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Katherine Nameth, BS
- Email: knameth@stanford.edu
- Phone: 6505429699
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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.