Exploring Daily-Level Associations Between Protective Behavioral Strategies, Alcohol Use, and Consequences: The Role of Context and Social Determinants of Health within Adolescents and Young Adults - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT It is essential to examine risk and protective factors for alcohol use due to the high prevalence and associated negative consequences among adolescents and young adults. Despite protective behavioral strategies (PBS) being a central part of alcohol prevention programs, PBS could be used with higher frequency, thus research is needed to determine factors related with PBS use and its association with alcohol related outcomes. Therefore, Aim 1 will investigate how the PBS subscales (i.e., limiting/stopping, manner of drinking, serious harm reduction) relate to alcohol use (i.e., number of drinks) and negative consequences (i.e., any consequences, quantity of consequences) at the daily level. Research further indicates that contextual factors may influence PBS use; however, it is unclear which contexts are influential at the daily level. Hence, Aim 2 will examine how contextual factors (i.e., drinking games and pregaming) moderate the associations between daily-level PBS use and alcohol use/negative consequences. Moreover, previous research has specified that facets of social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with alcohol use; however, there is a lack in understanding how they may serve as potential risk or protective factors within PBS. Thus, Aim 3 will explore how SDOH (i.e., socioeconomic disadvantage, race, ethnicity, sex) moderate the associations between daily- level PBS use and alcohol use/negative consequences. This research will provide the first ecologically valid, daily-level examination of the associations between PBS use, alcohol use, negative consequences and the moderating effects of contextual factors and SDOH. This study will use data from a parent R01 that utilized an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) burst design consisting of 24 daily surveys over the span of 3-weeks that repeated four times. Findings may identify novel targets for more efficacious interventions to decrease alcohol use or increase PBS use. The overall goal of this application is to support and facilitate the necessary training to develop an independent research career focused on examining contributing factors to adolescent and young adult alcohol use. In the long-term, the applicant seeks to become an expert research scientist on the etiology and the risk and protective factors that contribute to alcohol use among adolescents and young adults. Through the training goals, guided mentorship, and complementary experiences, the proposed project will strategically advance the applicant’s knowledge of adolescents and young adults and their alcohol use research. The applicant will also be trained in daily-level ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodologies to enhance our current understanding of factors influencing daily alcohol use behaviors and related outcomes within adolescents and young adults.
