Research Center: University of Vermont
Location: This is a virtual study and is open across the United States
Lead Researcher: Amy Hughes Lansing, Ph.D.
IRB: This study has been reviewed and approved by the University of Vermont Institutional Review Board

Are you committed to fostering a healthy, substance use disorder-free future? Researchers are exploring a virtual single-session intervention that teaches evidence-based family practices to prevent substance-use disorders in teens. Designed for families navigating the challenges of teen substance experimentation, this study will evaluate the acceptability and practicality of this intervention, all while keeping costs in check.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to contribute to the development of this intervention and a tailored app aimed at elevating parent-teen communication. Early substance use among teens drastically increases the risk of future substance use disorders, making early intervention crucial. You will be compensated up to $160 in the form of electronic debit cards for taking part in this study. If you’re a parent or have a teenager interested in preventing substance use, join researchers in bridging the critical gap in accessible, evidence-based prevention programs. Your voice is critical in shaping the tools that will empower parents and guardians to effectively guide their teens. Become a part of this vital research now!

• Participants will be contributing valuable information that may help researchers develop interventions for families of teens experimenting with substance use.
• Participants will learn family practices that may help decrease teen substance use.
• Participants will be helping to advance medical research.

• If you decide to participate in the study and later feel that you no longer wish to be part of it, you can withdraw at any time.
• Any information that you provide will be kept strictly confidential, except as required by law.
• Qualified health professionals will monitor your health as it relates to the study.

• Children aged 12-14 years old and their primary caregiver(s)
• Participants must have access to broadband or cellular internet
• Participating child must not have been diagnosed with substance use disorder
• Participating child must not be a ward of the state
• Participating child or their primary caregiver(s) must not have any severe physical or psychological conditions that could prevent them from participating in the study activities
• Participating child and their primary caregiver(s) must be able to learn about the study, and complete consent forms and study activities, including online surveys, in English
• Must be able to attend two study sessions a week apart that each take 2-3 hours, and complete a short survey each evening for 7 days

The study team will explain the research in its entirety but some details are:

• Participants will be compensated up to $160 in the form of electronic debit cards for participating in this study.
• Participation will involve completing pre- and post-session online surveys about evidence-based family skills.
• Participants will take part in a 2-hour session led by a health coach who will teach them about family skills.
  • Sessions will be personalized to your family’s needs and goals
  • The first portion of the session involves only the health coach and parent
  • The next portion will involve only the health coach and teen
  • In the final portion, the health coach will spend time talking with the parent and teen together. The parent and teen will identify goals to practice daily for the next 7 days
• Participants will be asked to use online surveys to record the frequency and quality of their interactions, such as if they solved a problem together, or had a conflict, in a daily diary for 1 week. These daily surveys will take less than 10 minutes to complete.
• Participants will have another virtual study session after the week to complete virtual interview questions about ways that app-based technology could support their skill-building process and daily interactions. Audio from the interview will be recorded and transcribed. The interview transcript will be identified only by number and will not be linked to any names. The interview will take about 1 hour.

University of Vermont

APRICOTS Lab @ UVM: Our lab’s mission is to develop accessible and personalized interventions to improve child health outcomes. First, we collaborate with pediatric patients, families, and medical teams to design accessible interventions to promote pediatric health across development. Our interventions address three primary domains of pediatric psychology lifespan health research: chronic health condition management, cardioprotective health behavior change, and social needs/policy intervention.

For example, we develop interventions that help families navigate complex care systems, adjust to managing chronic conditions, increase cardioprotective dietary choices, physical activity, and high-quality sleep, and decrease tobacco use and other health-harming behaviors, as well as address social needs like food insecurity.

Second, we personalize and optimize the delivery of our interventions by using intensive longitudinal methods to create personalized “maps” to guide intervention content and delivery. These “maps” model the interactions of biological, behavioral, social, and structural systems that contribute to a child and family’s health in daily life.

Third, we believe that success in this mission requires conducting research that centers on the lived expertise of our patients and families and speaks to the complexity of interactions between biological, behavioral, social, and structural systems in explaining health outcomes across the lifespan.

Please note:
The study will be conducted remotely which means there will be no in-person visits, allowing you to participate in the comfort of your own home.