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NCT Number: NCT06115252

Partnering to Enhance Emerging Adults' Response to Programs

The goal of this clinical trial (CT) is to learn more about emerging adults' and their peers. Here, we will see how co-participating with a peer in health program might impact brain and behavior change over time.

Eligible youth will be invited to come in for a "Participation Day," during which they and a peer will independently complete questionnaires. With a peer, they will then complete a short health program, and undergo a brain scan (fMRI) while completing activities. Our study team will reach out to each participant individually again 3, 6, and 12 months later to learn about health behaviors over time.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Alcohol Use, Unspecified Alcohol Drinking Behavior Drinking Behavior

Age range

18 year–19 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Texas Dallas

Dallas, Texas, 75235, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Cameron Sullins, BS

CONTACT

[email protected]

972-883-3726

Francesca Filbey, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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)

Treatment and study plan

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Behavioral

Motivational interviewing with peer dyads starts with an open-ended exploration of the dyad's hazardous drinking behavior via personal stories about alcohol use. It includes a values clarification task and age-matched norms along with personalized feedback regarding the dyad's alcohol use. The goal of the session is to engage the dyad in a thoughtful conversation about drinking and the implications it may have on their lives, with an eye to bolstering and supporting inherent drive for behavior change.

Primary outcomes

  1. Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response synchrony

    Time frame: Baseline

    Mean BOLD time series will be obtained for each region of interest (ROI) during peer-directed change talk trials and temporally aligned across dyad participants. Inter-brain synchrony will be quantified using z-transformed GLM β-weights within ROIs between the BOLD time series of dyad members.

  2. BOLD response synchrony association with behavior change (past month alcohol use days)

    Time frame: 12 Months

    Pearson correlation coefficients (r) of Primary Outcome #1 (ROI z-scores representing BOLD response synchrony) with individual Timeline Followback (TLFB) past month drinking days at 12 month follow up.

Secondary outcomes

  1. BOLD response synchrony association with behavior change (past month alcohol use days)

    Time frame: 3 Months

    Pearson correlation coefficients (r) of Primary Outcome #1 (ROI z-scores representing BOLD response synchrony) with individual Timeline Followback (TLFB) past month drinking days at 3 month follow up.

  2. BOLD response synchrony association with behavior change (past month alcohol use days)

    Time frame: 6 Months

    Pearson correlation coefficients (r) of Primary Outcome #1 (ROI z-scores representing BOLD response synchrony) with individual Timeline Followback (TLFB) past month drinking days at 6 month follow up.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Karen Hudson, MCR

CONTACT

[email protected]

860-679-1037

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

UConn Health

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
  • University of Texas

Registry information

Official study title

Partnering to Enhance Emerging Adults' Response to Programs (PEER)

Acronym: PEER

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Nov 2, 2023
Registry last updated
Feb 10, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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