Recruiting

Motivational Interviewing, Coping Skills Training, Automated Messaging

Sponsor:

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University

Code:

NCT06591026

Conditions

Heavy Drinking

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: Female

Age: 18 - 45

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Standard Helpline (SH)

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Coping Skills Training (CST)

Automated Text Messaging (ATM)

Study Details

Brief summary:

The pilot factorial trial will (1) evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of the intervention components (Aim 2.1), and (2) collect proof-of-concept data on the impact of the components on the proximal (motivation, self-efficacy, and self-regulation) and distal (quantity and frequency of HED) outcomes (Aim 2.2). Participants will include 120 postpartum mothers recruited from social media. The investigators will conduct a pilot 2X2X2 balanced full factorial trial, with 4 factors (1 constant, 3 randomized to 2 levels each) and 8 study conditions. The 4 factors will include: (1) Standard Helpline (constant); (2) Motivational Interviewing (yes vs. no); (3) Coping skills training (yes vs. no); (4) Automated messaging (yes vs. no). Participants will be randomly assigned to one of 8 study conditions, which will determine which combination of intervention components participants receive.

Conditions

Heavy Drinking

Study ID

NCT06591026

Start date

Jun 1, 2026

Status verified date

Oct, 2026

Completion date

Jul 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: Female

Age: 18 - 45

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Resides full-time in the United States
  • Age 18-45 years
  • Gave birth to an infant within the prior 4 weeks
  • Speaks and reads English
  • Owns a text-enabled cell-phone
  • Receives a score of 2 or more on the T-ACE alcohol risk screener
  • Reports ONE of the following: (a) drinking weekly or more often in the prior month; or (b) having 4 or more standard drinks at one time at least monthly in the 12 months prior to becoming pregnant.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Resides outside of the United States
  • Age under 18 years or over 45 years
  • Did not give birth to an infant within the prior 4 weeks
  • Cannot speak and read English
  • Does not own a text-enabled cell-phone
  • Does not receive a score of at least 2 on the T-ACE alcohol risk screener
  • Does not report either drinking weekly or more often in the past month or having 4 or more standard drinks at least monthly in the 12 months prior to becoming pregnant
  • Scores greater than 4 on the AUDIT-C, indicating an alcohol use disorder

Study Design

Enrollment

120 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Factorial

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: SH Only

Participants receive standard helpline component only

experimental: SH+CST

Participants receive the standard helpline component and the cognitive coping skills component.

experimental: SH+ATM

Participants receive the standard helpline component and the automated messaging component.

experimental: SH+CST+ATM

Participants receive the standard helpline component, the cognitive coping skills component, and the automated messaging component.

experimental: SH+MI

Participants receive the standard helpline component and the motivational interviewing component.

experimental: SH+MI+CST

Participants receive the standard helpline component, the motivational interviewing component, and the cognitive coping skills component.

experimental: SH+MI+ATM

Participants receive the standard helpline component, the motivational interviewing component, and the automated messaging component.

experimental: SH+MI+CST+ATM

Participants receive the standard helpline component, the motivational interviewing component, the coping skills component, and the automated messaging component.

Interventions

Standard Helpline (SH)

One digital helpline session that includes assessment, psychoeducation, and links to resources. Participants are also offered ongoing asynchronous digital support from the helpline.

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

One digital helpline session that includes a structured motivational interviewing brief intervention.

Coping Skills Training (CST)

One digital helpline session that includes a structured cognitive coping skills brief intervention.

Automated Text Messaging (ATM)

Automated text messages are sent daily for 4 weeks.

Primary outcome measure

  • Heavy episodic drinking [ Time Frame: 3-month follow-up; 6-month follow-up ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Sarah Dauber, PhD

212-841-5270sdauber@toendaddiction.org

Locations

Partnership to End Addiction

Recruiting

New York, New York, United States, 10017

Contacts

Sarah E Dauber, PhD

212-841-5270sdauber@toendaddiction.org

Principal Investigator:

Sarah E Dauber, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University

Last update posted

Oct 21, 2026

Last verified

Oct, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-10-22. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University on 2026-10-21. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.