# Development of Brief Interventions for Alcohol, Marijuana, and Sleep Problems in Young Adults

> **NIH NIH R34** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2021 · $146,345

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This application is designed to develop an integrated intervention to reduce alcohol and MJ use and
consequences and improve sleep among young adults (YA) with comorbid heavy episodic drinking (HED), MJ
use, and sleep impairment. HED in YA is an important public health problem, with consequences including
accidental injury and death, academic or work problems, unsafe and unwanted sex, and development of
alcohol use disorders. Many YA with HED also use MJ, often simultaneously, and experience increased harm
as a result. Sleep impairment is common and problematic among YA, identified as the 3rd leading barrier to
academic success for students and an important risk factor for mental health problems and suicide in YA. More
than 60% of YA report frequent daytime fatigue, 27% extreme distress related to sleep problems, and more
than 1 in 4 are at high risk for a sleep disorder. Alcohol use has been linked to impaired sleep in adolescent,
YA, college, and older adult populations, with bidirectional causal links between alcohol use and impaired
sleep, including negative physiological effects of alcohol on the sleep cycle (e.g., suppression of REM sleep),
use of alcohol to promote sleep onset which can both increase alcohol use and resultant sleep impairment,
and poor sleep hygiene including delayed and variable sleep-wake timing associated with cyclical patterns of
alcohol use during evening and/or weekend social events. Comorbidity of HED and sleep impairment is
associated with increased consequences of alcohol use, and exacerbates risk of accidents (including
automobile accidents), impaired decision-making, and work and academic difficulties. Similar bidirectional
relations exist with MJ use and sleep. Despite risks and consequences, alcohol and MJ prevention programs
rarely target sleep directly, and the majority of YA interventions for sleep either focus on sleep hygiene broadly
in the absence of specific strategies shown to improve sleep or reduce alcohol or MJ use, or have been
relatively intensive interventions with insufficient sample size to truly evaluate impacts on sleep or related
comorbid alcohol or MJ use. The current study addresses these gaps through developing and evaluating
feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a brief, integrated intervention combining efficacious brief motivational
feedback and skills for reducing HED and MJ use and consequences (BASICS) with Brief Behavioral Therapy
for Insomnia (SLEEP) shown to improve sleep in other populations. Feasibility and efficacy will be evaluated
over a 3-month period, using surveys and daily diaries to assess alcohol, MJ, and sleep at post-intervention
and 3- months. Specific aims are: 1) Assess feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy BASICS +
SLEEP in reducing alcohol use and consequences, improving sleep, and weakening daily and lagged (next
day) relationships between alcohol and MJ use and sleep impairment; 2 Use diary data to explore daily and
la...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10155376
- **Project number:** 5R34AA026909-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** MARY E. LARIMER
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $146,345
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-15 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10155376

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10155376, Development of Brief Interventions for Alcohol, Marijuana, and Sleep Problems in Young Adults (5R34AA026909-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10155376. Licensed CC0.

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