Exploring the Decision to Drink (More) Alcohol Following Manipulations of Stress and Social Context

NCT07390084 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: STUDY00023737R00AA030591
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 160
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This preregistration documents an experiment examining the effects of acute stress and social context on alcohol-related decision-making. The study uses a 2x2 factorial design (stress vs. control × social vs. alone) with dyadic recruitment.

Conditions

Psychological Stress; Social Interaction

Keywords

stress induction; value-based decision-making

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Proportion of choices for alcoholic over non-alcoholic drinks.

  Each participant will complete a two alternative forced-choice task in which they make repeated decisions between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

  5 minutes

Study Arms (4)

Stress Alone

EXPERIMENTAL

These participants will undergo a stress induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone.

Other: Stress

Stress Social

EXPERIMENTAL

These participants will undergo a stress induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer.

Other: Stress; Other: Social Context

Control Alone

EXPERIMENTAL

These participants will undergo a control induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone.

Other: Stress; Other: Social Context

Control Social

EXPERIMENTAL

These participants will undergo a control induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer.

Other: Social Context

Interventions

Stress OTHER

Participants randomly assigned to the stress condition will undergo the standard protocol of the Trier Social Stress Test. Participants randomly assigned to the control condition will undergo a validated, non-stressful control procedure mirroring the TSST.

Control Alone; Stress Alone; Stress Social

Social Context OTHER

Participants randomly assigned to the social condition will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer. Participants randomly assigned to the control condition will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone.

Control Alone; Control Social; Stress Social

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Drinking alcohol at least once a week
• Consuming 4 (female) or 5 (male) drinks in one occasion at least once a month

You may not qualify if:

• Currently pregnant or trying to become pregnant
• Past or current treatment for alcohol use
• Past or current medical condition that contraindicates alcohol use
• Past or current reaction to alcohol that contraindicates alcohol use
• Past or current medication that contraindicates alcohol use

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): collaborator
• University of Washington: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress, Psychological

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Jonas Dora

  University of Washington

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Jonas Dora

CONTACT

2067416330; jdora@uw.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Acting Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 28, 2026
• First Posted: February 5, 2026
• Study Start: February 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Last Updated: February 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Once data collection has been finalized and indefinitely.
• Access Criteria: Everyone will be able to access the data, they will be public. All data we share are fully anonymized and not sensitive.