A Reinforced Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Reduce Problematic Drinking Among Hispanic Emerging Adults

About This Study

This study is a trial to evaluate a mindfulness program designed for Hispanic young adults. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) an in-person, 8-week mindfulness program (one 1.5-hour session per week at FIU's MMC campus), or (2) an assessment-only control group. Regardless of group assignment. Participants will be asked to complete online surveys at baseline, after an 8-week period, and again one month later. They will also be asked to provide a fingerpick blood sample and have their heart rate and blood pressure measured at four timepoints: baseline, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months after baseline. Participation will involve up to 16 hours over approximately 14 weeks. This includes time for completing baseline assessments, participating in the 8-week intervention (if assigned), and completing post-program and follow-up assessments. There are no serious risks of participating in this study, but some of the questions during the assessments, interview, or the fingerpick may cause you discomfort. The main benefit from participating in this clinical trial is that participants may experience personal benefits from learning mindfulness techniques.

What's Involved

Conditions Studied

Study Locations

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

* self-identified Hispanic,
* 18-25 years old,
* engaged in 2 or more occasions of heavy episodic drinking occasions (HED) (4/5 drinks in one sitting for females/males) during the previous 30-days
* actively enrolled FIU student. Exclusion Criteria

Participants will be flagged for exclusion criteria if they report any of the following:

* Five or more binge drinking episodes (5+ drinks in one sitting) in the past 30 days, which averages more than once per week.
* Weekly or more frequent use of other substances, including non-prescribed prescription drugs, illegal drugs, inhalants, or synthetic drugs.