Experimental Test of Facebook Social Drinking Norms on Adolescent Alcohol Use

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The proposed research will be the first study to focus on experimentally manipulating both injunctive and descriptive norms on social networking sites in order to elucidate the relationship between alcohol and abstainer displays on social networking sites and subsequent alcohol cognitions, use, and related negative consequences. Based on literature focusing on developmentally appropriate health models for adolescents, the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) assumes that health-risk behaviors occur either when individuals have developed intentions to engage in a risk behavior (and these intentions vary as a function of attitudes and perceived injunctive norms) or through willingness to engage in risks (which varies as a function of perceived vulnerability to negative consequences, perceived descriptive norms , and prototypes). To fully understand the relationships between alcohol abstaining displays on social networking sites, we will examine 1) the role of descriptive and injunctive abstainer and user norms, when experimentally manipulated with SNS profiles, on willingness and intentions, subsequent alcohol use and related negative consequences among adolescents (age 1 5-20) 2) whether intentions and willingness mediate the relation between our experimental manipulation and subsequent alcohol use and negative consequences and whether 3) individual differences in social influence moderate the effect of the experimental manipulation on intentions, willingness, alcohol use, and negative consequences. We will test these aims by recruiting a community sample of adolescents (N = 300), living in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. Participants will complete a web-based baseline assessment and participate in an in-person experimental manipulation in which they are either assigned to see same-sex social networking site profiles of alcohol abstainers, abstainers +users, or a control condition where neither user or abstainer information will be provided. Immediately after the manipulation, participants will answer a series of questions about the profiles they just viewed and their alcohol-related cognitions. Participants will also complete a one-month in person follow up assessment to test for impacts on intentions, willingness, alcohol use, and related negative consequences. Additionally, individual differences in social influence will be examined as possible moderators o f the relationship between SNS-portrayed norms and our primary outcomes. This study is both significant and innovative in that it uses a theoretical perspective to experimentally test the impact of alcohol content, in particular abstainer norms, on Facebook on adolescent alcohol use and related cognitions. The results have the potential to inform preventative interventions while addressing NIH priorities.

Official Title
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Experimental Test of Facebook Social Drinking Norms on Adolescent Alcohol Use

Conditions
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Feedback, Psychological, Underage Alcohol Use, Risk-Taking

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Abstainer
* Behavioral: Abstainer + User
* Behavioral: Control


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Must be between 15 and 20 years old Must reside within Seattle area Must use alcohol at least once in the last 6 months Must have valid email address Must have active profile on social networking site (Facebook, Instagram and/or Snapchat) Regular access to the web or personal mobile phone Willing to come to office for the experimental manipulation and post-manipulation assessment. Exclusion Criteria: The only exclusion criteria is not to not meet the above inclusion criteria

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 15 Years
Maximum Age: 20 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Abstainer<br>Participants view social networking site profiles with alcohol content that references abstaining from alcohol use. | Behavioral: Abstainer<br>* Participants view social networking site profiles with alcohol content referencing abstaining from alcohol use.<br>|
| Experimental: Abstainer + User<br>Participants view social networking site profiles with alcohol content that references both abstaining from alcohol use and using alcohol. | Behavioral: Abstainer + User<br>* Participants view social networking site profiles with alcohol content referencing abstaining from alcohol use and using alcohol.<br>|
| Experimental: Control<br>Participants view social networking site profiles with no alcohol content. | Behavioral: Control<br>* Participants view social networking site profiles with no alcohol content.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Willingness and Intentions to Use Alcohol | Assesses willingness to use alcohol and intentions to use alcohol at Baseline, Post-Manipulation, and 1-Month Follow-Up assessments. | Baseline, Post-Manipulation and 1-Month Follow-Up time points | 
| Change in Self-Reported Alcohol Use | Assesses self-reported alcohol use (using the Daily Drinking Questionnaire and Quantity Frequency measures) at Baseline and 1-Month Follow-Up assessments. | Baseline and 1-Month Follow-Up time points | 
| Change in Alcohol-Related Negative Consequences | Assesses alcohol-related negative consequences (using the Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire) at Baseline and 1-Month Follow Up. | Baseline and 1-Month Follow-Up time points |