Text Message Intervention for Alcohol Use and Sexual Violence in College Students

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study is designed to pilot a text message (TM) delivered behavior change intervention to decrease binge drinking and to increase use of sexual violence (SV) harm reduction strategies among college students.

Detailed Description
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This is a prospective, open-label, feasibility trial of a text message-delivered intervention designed to increase use of sexual violence harm reduction strategies and decrease alcohol use among college students. In this research study, participants will: be asked to complete three surveys, one survey at the start of the study, one at the end of 3 month intervention period, and one at 6 months after enrollment receive one of two sets of text messages for a 3 month intervention period and be asked to respond to some of those text messages Control condition text messages: The control condition will be a version of the TM-delivered alcohol use reduction intervention developed and implemented by Dr. Brian Suffoletto while at the University of Pittsburgh. This intervention has been tested in young adults (age 18-25) recruited from Emergency Department and college settings, and will be used to provide an attention control group for efficacy testing. Prior to typical drinking occasions, individuals planning a drinking event are prompted to consider committing to a drinking limit goal, i.e.: Would you be willing to set a goal to drink less than X drinks when drinking?. Based on willingness to commit to the goal, a feedback message is provided. During typical drinking periods, individuals receive a goal reminder. Each week, the program provides goal success/failure feedback or drinking quantity feedback. For example, those occasions where an individual committed to a drinking limit goal triggers either messages to reinforce goal successes or reframe goal failures. When an individual did not commit to a drink limit goal, they are provided feedback based on alcohol quantity (e.g. abstinence feedback, high risk drinking feedback). Intervention condition text messages: The multi-target sexual violence harm reduction and alcohol use intervention will use a similar model to the alcohol use reduction intervention previous developed and implemented at the University of Pittsburgh.13-15 Students will be: 1) queried via TM prior to typical drinking days regarding both alcohol use and SV harm reduction goal setting; 2) provided with goal reminders during drinking period; and 3) assessed for goal attainment and given feedback following drinking episodes.

Official Title
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Text Message Intervention for Alcohol Use and Sexual Violence in College Students

Conditions
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Alcohol Use, Unspecified, Sexual Violence, Sexual Assault

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: sexual violence and alcohol use harm reduction text message content
* Behavioral: alcohol use reduction content


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: age 18-24 years, current college or university student, owns a mobile phone with internet access and unlimited text message plan, reports binge drinking in the past 30 days [>3 drinks for women, >4 drinks men in one sitting] Able to complete participation in English. To evaluate messages tailored to prior SV victimization, approximately 50% of the sample will also be purposively recruited for a baseline history of SV. Exclusion Criteria: Under 18 years old, over 24 years old Not currently enrolled in college Does not own a mobile phone with internet access and unlimited data plan Does not report binge drinking in the past 30 day Unable to complete study participation in English

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 24 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: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Control - alcohol use reduction content<br>Alcohol use reduction content | Behavioral: alcohol use reduction content<br>* The control condition will be a previously tested TM-delivered alcohol use reduction intervention. Prior to typical drinking occasions, individuals planning a drinking event are prompted to consider committing to a drinking limit goal, i.e.: Would you be willing to set a goal to drink less than X drinks when drinking?. Based on willingness to commit to the goal, a feedback message is provided. During typical drinking periods, individuals receive a goal reminder. Each week, the program provides goal success/failure feedback or drinking quantity feedback. For example, those occasions where an individual committed to a drinking limit goal triggers either messages to reinforce goal successes or reframe goal failures. When an individual did not commit to a drink limit goal, they are provided feedback based on alcohol quantity (e.g. high risk drinking feedback).<br>|
| Experimental: Intervention - sexual violence and alcohol use harm reduction content<br>sexual violence and alcohol use harm reduction content | Behavioral: sexual violence and alcohol use harm reduction text message content<br>* The multi-target sexual violence harm reduction and alcohol use intervention will use a similar model to the alcohol use reduction intervention previous developed and implemented. Students will be: 1) queried via TM prior to typical drinking days regarding both alcohol use and SV harm reduction goal setting; 2) provided with goal reminders during drinking period; and 3) assessed for goal attainment and given feedback following drinking episodes. As with the control condition, post-drinking assessment happens weekly on Sundays. Monday thru Saturday participants will randomly receive or not receive one appropriate message pathway from the message library using the pre-determined pathways for messages.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| number of drinking days per month | as measured using a 30-day timeline follow-back (TLFB) | 3 month follow up | 
| number of drinking days per month | as measured using a 30-day timeline follow-back (TLFB) | 6 month follow up | 
| number of binge drinking days per month | as measured using a 30-day timeline follow-back (TLFB) | 3 month follow up | 
| number of binge drinking days per month | as measured using a 30-day timeline follow-back (TLFB) | 6 month follow up | 
| use of sexual violence harm reduction strategies | Modified Dating Self-Protection Against Rape Scale (DSPARS). A series of questions about frequency of use of 15 behavioral strategies to protect against sexual assault (e.g. meet in a public place instead of a private place and tell a friend who you are meeting and where). In addition to use of each strategy, each item will be used to assess knowledge (How aware of…) and self-efficacy (How confident in your ability to…) for each strategy. ( ∝ = 0.86). | 3 month follow up | 
| use of sexual violence harm reduction strategies | Modified Dating Self-Protection Against Rape Scale (DSPARS). A series of questions about frequency of use of 15 behavioral strategies to protect against sexual assault (e.g. meet in a public place instead of a private place and tell a friend who you are meeting and where). In addition to use of each strategy, each item will be used to assess knowledge (How aware of…) and self-efficacy (How confident in your ability to…) for each strategy. ( ∝ = 0.86). | 6 month follow up | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| knowledge of sexual violence harm reduction behaviors | Modified Dating Self-Protection Against Rape Scale (DSPARS). A series of questions about frequency of use of 15 behavioral strategies to protect against sexual assault (e.g. meet in a public place instead of a private place and tell a friend who you are meeting and where). In addition to use of each strategy, each item will be used to assess knowledge (How aware of…) and self-efficacy (How confident in your ability to…) for each strategy. ( ∝ = 0.86). | 3 month follow up | 
| knowledge of sexual violence harm reduction behaviors | Modified Dating Self-Protection Against Rape Scale (DSPARS). A series of questions about frequency of use of 15 behavioral strategies to protect against sexual assault (e.g. meet in a public place instead of a private place and tell a friend who you are meeting and where). In addition to use of each strategy, each item will be used to assess knowledge (How aware of…) and self-efficacy (How confident in your ability to…) for each strategy. ( ∝ = 0.86). | 6 month follow up | 
| self-efficacy to use sexual violence harm reduction behaviors | Modified Dating Self-Protection Against Rape Scale (DSPARS). A series of questions about frequency of use of 15 behavioral strategies to protect against sexual assault (e.g. meet in a public place instead of a private place and tell a friend who you are meeting and where). In addition to use of each strategy, each item will be used to assess knowledge (How aware of…) and self-efficacy (How confident in your ability to…) for each strategy. ( ∝ = 0.86). | 3 month follow up | 
| self-efficacy to use sexual violence harm reduction behaviors | Modified Dating Self-Protection Against Rape Scale (DSPARS). A series of questions about frequency of use of 15 behavioral strategies to protect against sexual assault (e.g. meet in a public place instead of a private place and tell a friend who you are meeting and where). In addition to use of each strategy, each item will be used to assess knowledge (How aware of…) and self-efficacy (How confident in your ability to…) for each strategy. ( ∝ = 0.86). | 6 month follow up |