Investigating Close-in-time Mediators and Moderators of SocialMedia Use, Alcohol related Content Exposure and Young Adult Drinking Behavior

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Heavy drinking and social media use are common among young adults. However, young adults are often inaccurate at estimating their social media use, suggesting objective methods such as passive sensing are needed. Greater self-reported social media use during adolescence has been shown to predict increased alcohol use during young adulthood. Despite daily variability in heavy drinking and social media use, no research has examined impacts of close-in-time social media use and ARC exposure on momentary drinking behavior. Due to its robust prospective association with alcohol use, exposure to alcohol-related content (ARC) on social media is believed to explain this association. There is also a need to identify close-in-time mediators and moderators of the associations between social media, ARC exposure, and drinking to inform the development of ecologically valid interventions that address the effects of social media on alcohol use. Theoretically important mediators include alcohol-specific feelings of social comparison and social exclusion, whereas putative moderators include affect, impulsivity, and in-person social contextual factors. To examine the influences of these factors on momentary drinking, the proposed K99/R00 research will apply a mixed methods approach across four aims. The specific aims of the K99 phase are to (1) gain an in-depth understanding of what young adults perceive to be the explanatory and modifying factors for social media use, ARC exposure, and alcohol use, and (2) refine the measures and methods for examining close-in-time predictors of momentary drinking, including developing skills for collecting and processing smartphone passive sensing data. Aim 1 will involve conducting qualitative focus groups with 48 young adults (6-8 per group) and for Aim 2, 20 young adults will complete a pilot ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study and exit interviews, resulting in a protocol for a full-scale EMA study. The specific aims of the R00 phase are to (3) examine the relative strength of ARC exposure compared to general social comparison and social exclusion as mediators of the relationship between social media use (measured via passive sensing) and alcohol use, and (4) identify mediators and moderators of the association (a priori and qualitatively informed) between ARC exposure and alcohol use using a EMA-sensing integration study (N= 150; 28 days). To support the research aims, the PI will acquire training from a highly skilled mentorship team in (1) qualitative methods and analysis (Dr. Barnett), (2) EMA study design (Drs. Barnett and Jackson), (3) passive sensing data collection (Dr. Bae), (4) advanced multilevel data analysis (Dr. Janssen), and (5) professional and career skills development (all mentors). Findings will facilitate an understanding of close-in-time mediators and moderators of ARC exposure and momentary drinking. Completion of the proposed study and training goals will facilitate a successful transition to independence whereby the PI will establish a program of research using optimal methods to examine social media implications for young adult alcohol use.