Collaborative Opportunities for Reducing Alcohol and Sexual Violence Together

Harnessing the Power of Military Peers to Reduce Sexual Violence and Risky Drinking in Service Members

The goal of this clinical trial is to test if a modified peer-based motivational intervention (the Military PAIRS; MPAIRS) is reasonable and practical for military contexts. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does it works to reduce SV?
• Does it works to reduce risky drinking? To test this, participants will answer questions about their SV history and risky drinking. Then they will be given MPAIRS. After 1 month, they will be asked about their SV history and risky drinking again.

The objective of the proposed study is to adapt an innovative, peer-based motivational interview (PMI) that encourages and prepares peers to reduce sexual violence (SV) risk. Delivered to pairs of peers (dyads), the PMI will be designed to foster collaborative efforts to increase readiness for, and decrease barriers to helping behavior, and to teach and plan together for assault prevention skills. As the role of alcohol has been under-addressed in SV prevention efforts, the PMI also will explicitly attend to how intoxication may serve as a barrier to peer intervention, and strategies for overcoming this barrier. The completion of this project's aims will yield a novel intervention that capitalizes on the natural resource of military responsibility to decrease risk for sexual violence - a pervasive problem affecting a substantial portion of military service members in the U.S.

In Phase One of the study, twelve peer dyads will participate in the peer-based motivational interview (PMI). The study will compare the participants at baseline to themselves at a 1 month follow up on outcomes. The study will focus on whether effects are in the expected direction and whether the strength of effect sizes are of practical magnitude. It is expected that participants will demonstrate significant increases in readiness, and engagement in peer assault prevention behavioral skills (PAPBs), and demonstrate decreases in perceived barriers. Follow-up data will be utilized to provide a rich description of the role of alcohol in implementing PAPBs, and whether the PMI reduces the impact of alcohol use. In exploratory analyses, it will be examined whether the intervention may be associated with decreased assault risk, as well as decreased drinking.

In Phase Two of the study, twenty seven peer dyads will will participate in the peer-based motivational interview (PMI) and twenty seven peer dyads will receive a general health education control. We will compare groups on outcomes at post-intervention and at monthly follow-ups over a three-month period, and also examine within-subjects change. Given the developmental nature of the study and the smaller sample size, we will focus on whether effects are in the expected direction and whether the strength of effect sizes are of practical magnitude. We expect participants receiving the PMI to demonstrate significant increases in readiness, and engagement in peer-based protective behaviors and alcohol strategies, and decreases in perceived barriers (improved self-efficacy, relationship concerns) at post-intervention and over the 3-month follow-up. We will also use our follow-up data to provide a rich description of the role of alcohol in implementing PAPBs, and whether the PMI reduces alcohol's impact. In exploratory analyses, we will examine whether the intervention may be associated with decreased assault risk, as well as decreased drinking

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enlisted U.S. Navy service members on active duty status
• Meet criteria for risky drinking (i.e. score of 4+ for men, 2+ for women according to the AUDIT-C)
• Have an eligible peer and the pair must socialize together at least twice a month

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals who endorse evidence of withdrawal (Item 6 on the AUDIT)