Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42832266›Full record

Trial reportJMIR formative research2026

A Problem-Solving Therapy With Apple Watch Support for College Students With Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Hagar Hallihan, Sangeun Lee, Ruth Adomah, Robert Miranda, Kathleen Rospenda

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in JMIR formative research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Hagar HallihanDepartment of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, 840 South Wood Street Clinical Science North Room 415, MC 718, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States, 1 312-413-5361.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0101-3984
Sangeun LeeSchool of Nursing, College of Health Professions and Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5480-9970
Ruth AdomahDepartment of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, 840 South Wood Street Clinical Science North Room 415, MC 718, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States, 1 312-413-5361.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-8554-4503
Robert MirandaPsychiatry & Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6418-6148
Kathleen RospendaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6753-9874

Funding

StuDy AimED at Increasing AlCohol AbsTinEnce (DEDICATE)R00AA030665 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · PI Hagar Hallihan · 2025 to 2026
$492k
NIAAA NIH HHS R00 AA030665
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) involves an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse consequences and represents a major public health problem. While AUD is most prevalent among college students, integrated evidence-based treatments for this population are lacking. Objective: The objectives of our study were to test the feasibility and acceptability of a newly developed behavioral intervention, problem-solving therapy and Apple Watch (PST-APPLE), and to preliminarily investigate the effectiveness of PST-APPLE among college students with symptoms of AUD. Methods: Participants were recruited through online advertising and on campus at universities in the Chicago area between May and September 2024. They were randomized in a 1:1 ratio using block randomization to the intervention group (PST-APPLE: n=12 individuals) or the control group (education-only: n=14 individuals), with the data analyst blinded to treatment assignment. Participants in the intervention group completed 12 weeks of the PST-APPLE intervention, delivered remotely via Zoom videoconferencing and interactions with the Apple Watch. Participants in the control group were asked to watch a 20-minute abstinence-motivation video and then participate in a 30-minute group discussion via Zoom. All participants completed follow-up assessments at 3 months. Outcomes included alcohol-related problems (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT] and Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index [RAPI]) and drinking motivation (Drinking Motives Questionnaire Revised [DMQR]). Results: We enrolled 26 participants aged 18-25 years. The mean age was 22.5 (SD 2.20) years. We found reduced scores between preintervention and postintervention measures in the intervention group using 2-tailed paired Conclusions: Our study findings indicate that the PST-APPLE intervention is feasible, acceptable, and hypothesis generating among college students with AUD. While findings are promising, this pilot study was not powered for definitive efficacy testing. A fully powered randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm these effects. Future studies could adapt PST-APPLE to other wrist-worn electronic devices/watches that capture physiological data (eg, Fitbit, Samsung Galaxy Watch) to increase reach and scalability, particularly among younger adults and digitally literate populations.

Indexed as

AlcoholismProblem SolvingStudentsAdolescentAdultChicagoFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsUniversitiesYoung Adultalcohol use disorderAUDcollege studentsdigital healthfeasibility study

Identifiers

PMID42832266
PMCPMC13637571

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.