# Preventing alcohol misuse and consequences in vulnerable women

> **NIH NIH K23** · MIRIAM HOSPITAL · 2021 · $191,784

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
This Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) will provide Dr. Alyssa Norris with
the training and research activities needed to become an independent investigator focusing on the
development and evaluation of innovative prevention approaches targeting young women’s alcohol
use, with a specialized focus in sexual minority populations. Sexual minority women display markedly
increased risk for hazardous alcohol use and alcohol consequences. Despite mounting evidence of these
alcohol use disparities, there are no tested prevention approaches for sexual minority women. This is
unwarranted given that sexual minority women evince unique risk factors for alcohol use and report
dissatisfaction with current treatments, as well as that culturally-tailored programming for other minority groups
is efficacious. The mentorship and training team includes expert psychologists in the following areas of
research: brief interventions for alcohol misuse among young women and vulnerable populations (M. Carey; K.
Carey); qualitative methodology to guide intervention development (Guthrie); longitudinal data analyses for
clinical trials and latent analysis to guide intervention content (Dunsiger); and alcohol misuse among sexual
minority women (Lewis). Further, I will continue to work as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human
Behavior (DPHB) at Brown University and Research Scientist at the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive
Medicine (CBPM) of The Miriam Hospital. DPHB and CBPM are dedicated to supporting K awardees from the
completion of their training award activities to the transition into independent NIH funding. The DPHB currently
has over 200 ongoing studies and $50 million in externally sponsored research and is dedicated to supporting
early faculty in their transition to independence. Dr. Norris will apply the skills acquired through the proposed
training activities to the development of theoretically-sound and evidence-based prevention programming to
reduce alcohol misuse among sexual minority women. Specifically, Dr. Norris will develop a prevention
program to reduce heavy alcohol use through three aims: (1) Formative needs assessment: (1a) systematic
review of theoretical models of sexual minority women’s alcohol use, and (1b) in-depth interviews (N = 20) to
guide intervention development through participatory engagement; (2) Refinement of treatment materials and
delivery: (2a) secondary data analyses to determine meaningful normative feedback for sexual minority women
(Kaysen), and (2b) cognitive interviews (N = 10) to guide the development of the intervention through
participatory engagement; (3) Pilot randomized controlled trial (N = 70) comparing the intervention to an
attention-matched control group to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, with a
secondary focus on preliminary efficacy to guide future grant proposals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10264005
- **Project number:** 5K23AA028513-02
- **Recipient organization:** MIRIAM HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Alyssa Norris
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $191,784
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10264005

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10264005, Preventing alcohol misuse and consequences in vulnerable women (5K23AA028513-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10264005. Licensed CC0.

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