Letter-Writing Add-On to Brief Motivational Intervention for Alcohol Use
Enhancing Brief Motivational Interventions for Alcohol Use With Self-Determination Theory: A Pilot Letter-Writing Add-On
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * Resides in the United States * Meets the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism heavy-drinking criteria in the past month * Answers Yes to "Do you sometimes think about reducing or wish you could reduce your alcohol use?" * Has internet access and a device capable of video conferencing via Zoom Exclusion Criteria: * Failure to meet the inclusion criteria
About the study
The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn whether adding a brief letter-writing exercise, grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), to a brief motivational intervention (BMI) for alcohol use is feasible and acceptable, and to obtain preliminary estimates of its effects on psychological needs and motivation among adults who drink heavily and sometimes think about or wish they could cut back on their drinking.
The main questions it aims to answer are: (1) Is it feasible to integrate the letter-writing task into an SDT-informed BMI (recruitment, session completion, letter completion, retention)? (2) Do participants rate the letter-writing task as acceptable, appropriate, and feasible? (3) Compared with a neutral writing task, is the letter-writing task associated with higher perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness, perceived competence for reducing drinking, and autonomous motivation?
Researchers will compare a BMI plus a neutral writing task with the same BMI plus the letter-writing task. Participants will complete a brief online screening survey; take part in a single 45-60-minute Zoom session that includes questionnaires, a 25-30-minute motivational interview, random assignment to either write an advice letter to another participant who has also thought about reducing their drinking or copy a neutral paragraph, and post-session questionnaires; and complete a 10-15-minute online follow-up survey about motivation, perceived competence, and alcohol use approximately one month later.
What is being tested
- Brief Motivational Intervention (behavioral)
- SDT-Informed Letter-Writing Task (behavioral)
- Neutral Writing Task (behavioral)
Sponsor: Wayne State University · Participants: 86 · Started: Nov 16, 2026
Contact the study team
- Mariam A Souweidane · Phone: 734-707-8185
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07926880
Locations in the U.S.
| Michigan | Wayne State University, Detroit |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Nov 15, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.