Evaluation and Optimization of a Just-in-Time Messaging Intervention to Reduce Alcohol-Facilitated Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among At-Risk Young Adult Men and Women

NIH Pandemic-Era Grants

Pandemic Era Grants

2024

Document text

Principal Investigator: Cynthia A. Stappenbeck
Organization: GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $577,426
Funding agency: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

PROJECT SUMMARY
Young adult men and women perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) at high rates. A summary of over 30
years of research concludes that alcohol is a causal factor of IPV, particularly acute alcohol intoxication,
highlighting the critical need for interventions delivered proximally to drinking episodes – a period of increased
risk for IPV. Yet despite the high societal and personal costs associated with heavy drinking and IPV and the
high prevalence of alcohol facilitated IPV, empirically supported interventions are lacking, particularly those
that are low resource and easily scalable for wide dissemination. It is increasingly feasible to deliver Just-In-
Time (JIT) interventions via mobile technology, particularly those that adapt over time to an individual's
changing needs to provide appropriate intervention strategies based on real time, real world context – Just-In-
Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs). JITAIs have been evaluated for a range of behavioral health issues
including alcohol use; however, no empirically supported JITAIs for alcohol-facilitated IPV perpetration exist.
To develop JITAIs, JIT interventions are optimized through innovative micro-randomized trials (MRTs) in which
individuals are micro-randomized to receive different intervention strategies at critical time points to determine
when a message is best delivered, which type of message is most impactful for whom, and under what
conditions. Thus, the present application will combine a traditional RCT to evaluate the efficacy of delivering
JIT messages to reduce alcohol facilitated IPV perpetration with a MRT to optimize the selection and
adaptation of messages for a future JITAI. The proposed intervention focuses on theoretically and empirically
supported targets for IPV perpetration consistent with the I3 Model – the prevailing unifying theory of IPV
perpetration – including distress tolerance skills, emotion regulation skills, and alcohol reduction strategies. An
RCT by the PI (K08AA021745) supports these intervention targets for reducing alcohol use and IPV
perpetration among women with sexual assault histories, and a recent pilot study supports the feasibility and
acceptability of delivering these JIT messages using a MRT design to at-risk men and women with good
effects of the intervention on key alcohol and IPV outcomes. As such, we propose to evaluate the efficacy of
this JIT messaging intervention in 400 heavy drinking young adults with recent IPV perpetration. Participants
will be randomized to the JIT messaging intervention or an assessment only control (RCT design). All
participants will complete a baseline survey, 30-days of twice daily monitoring, and 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-
up surveys. Within the intervention arm (MRT design), individuals will be micro-randomized after each morning
and evening report during the 30 days of monitoring to (1) receive a JIT message or not, and (2) if yes, to one
of three message types (distress tolerance skill, ER skill, alcohol reduction strategy). This innovative design will
optimize the selection and adaptation of JIT messages for a future JITAI to reduce alcohol facilitated IPV.

Terms: <Active Follow-up><Acute><Aggression><Aggressive behavior><Alcohol Chemical Class><Alcohol Drinking><Alcohol Intoxication><Alcohol consumption><Alcoholic Intoxication><Alcohols><Anger><Application Context><Arousal><Baseline Surveys><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 era><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 period><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 years><Caring><Categories><Cell Phone><Cellular Phone><Cellular Telephone><Conflict><Conflict (Psychology)><Consumption><Disinhibition><Drunkenness><Emotional><EtOH drinking><EtOH intoxication><EtOH use><Evaluation><Future><Goals><Heavy Drinking><High Prevalence><History><Individual><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Mediating><Mediation><Mobile Phones><Modeling><Monitor><Negotiating><Negotiation><Outcome><Participant><Persons><Pilot Projects><Process><Public Health><Randomization trial><Randomized><Recording of previous events><Reporting><Research><Research Resources><Resources><Risk><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><Sampling><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Survey Instrument><Surveys><Technology><Testing><Text Messaging><Time><Woman><acceptability and feasibility><active followup><adaptive intervention><adult youth><alcohol ingestion><alcohol intake><alcohol intervention><alcohol involvement><alcohol product use><alcohol use><alcoholic beverage consumption><alcoholic drink intake><angers><angry><assaulted sexually><behavioral health><compare to control><comparison control><contextual factors><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 global pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 pandemic><cost><design><designing><determine efficacy><distress tolerance><drink heavily><drinking><efficacy analysis><efficacy assessment><efficacy determination><efficacy evaluation><efficacy examination><emotion regulation><emotional regulation><ethanol consumption><ethanol drinking><ethanol ingestion><ethanol intake><ethanol intoxication><ethanol product use><ethanol use><evaluate efficacy><examine efficacy><excessive alcohol consumption><excessive alcohol ingestion><excessive alcohol intake><excessive drinking><excessive ethanol ingestion><experience><extreme drinking><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><heavy alcohol use><heavy drinking young adult><high risk><histories><iPhone><improved><innovate><innovation><innovative><internet-based intervention><intervention arm><intervention effect><interventional strategy><intimate partner violence><involvement with alcohol><men><mobile computing><mobile platform><mobile technology><negative affect><negative affectivity><novel><pandemic><pandemic disease><pilot study><programs><psychologic><psychological><randomisation><randomization><randomized trial><randomly assigned><reduced alcohol use><response><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><sex><sexual assault><sexual attack><short message service><skills><smart phone><smartphone><text based intervention><text intervention><text messaging based intervention><text messaging intervention><texting><theories><treatment arm><trial design><verbal><violence perpetration><web-based intervention><young adult><young adulthood>