# Examining person and event level predictors of simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use via mixed methods

> **NIH NIH F31** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $45,520

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This F31 research and training award will enable the candidate to develop as a public health researcher using
advanced methodology and statistical techniques to examine person- and event-level determinants of substance
use. Alcohol and marijuana are two of the most commonly used substances among young adults, and most
individuals who use both substances use them simultaneously (in the same occasion so their effects overlap).
Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use, compared to alcohol or marijuana use alone, is associated with
more frequent and intense alcohol use, and a greater number and severity of alcohol-related consequences.
Given the high prevalence and adverse effects of SAM use, identification of proximal predictors of SAM use
among young adults is important for informing prevention and intervention efforts. The Integrated Behavioral
Model (IBM) provides a framework for understanding SAM use by highlighting important psychosocial (attitudes,
norms) and contextual (e.g., social context) predictors. The overall aims of the research proposed in this F31
are to characterize event-level SAM use and examine IBM-informed pathways of SAM use among heavy drinking
young adults, using a mixed methods approach. First, qualitative methods (individual interviews with 20-28 heavy
drinking young adult SAM users) will be used to (a) elucidate topography and proximal antecedents of SAM use
among young adult heavy drinkers and (b) inform event-level assessment decisions for an ecological momentary
assessment (EMA) protocol for studying discrete substance use events. Subsequently, this F31 application will
build upon an NIAAA-funded R01 EMA study (R01AA027495) examining high intensity drinking and alcohol
induced blackouts among young adults. The candidate will add SAM-specific measures to one of the R01’s panel
assessments and subsequent 30 day EMA burst. Using the first 100 participants who engage in frequent SAM
use, the candidate will analyze direct effects of person- and event-level predictors of SAM use, and examine
event-level mediators and moderators of the association between psychosocial predictors and SAM use among
young adult heavy drinkers. The candidate will work with a highly skilled mentorship team (Drs. Jennifer Merrill,
Kristina Jackson, and Kate Carey) at Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies to build four
areas of expertise relevant to this research agenda: (1) content area knowledge of SAM use among young adults;
(2) qualitative methods and analysis; (3) EMA methods; and (4) analysis of EMA data. This F31 proposal to
understand determinants of SAM use will help to identify intervention targets for young adults who are at high
risk for substance misuse and related consequences, and will position the candidate to make important
contributions to the field of substance use research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10066517
- **Project number:** 1F31AA028707-01
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Holly Kristin Boyle
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $45,520
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10066517

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10066517, Examining person and event level predictors of simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use via mixed methods (1F31AA028707-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10066517. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*