Psychological StressDoraR00NCT07390084
Exploring the Decision to Drink (More) Alcohol Following Manipulations of Stress and Social Context
A study testing Stress and Social Context in people with Psychological Stress and Social Interaction, run by University of Washington at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This preregistration documents an experiment examining the effects of acute stress and social context on alcohol-related decision-making. The study uses a 2x2 factorial design (stress vs. control × social vs. alone) with dyadic recruitment. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 21 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Psychological Stress, Social Interaction
- What is being tested?
- Stress and Social Context
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 160 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Feb 2026to 30 Jun 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 21 to 50 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Drinking alcohol at least once a week
- Consuming 4 (female) or 5 (male) drinks in one occasion at least once a month
Who cannot join
- Currently pregnant or trying to become pregnant
- Past or current treatment for alcohol use
- Past or current medical condition that contraindicates alcohol use
- Past or current reaction to alcohol that contraindicates alcohol use
- Past or current medication that contraindicates alcohol use
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, 98195
Jonas Dora, PhD, 206-741-6330, jdora@uw.edu
About this study
This preregistration documents an experiment examining the effects of acute stress and social context on alcohol-related decision-making. The study uses a 2x2 factorial design (stress vs. control × social vs. alone) with dyadic recruitment.
Read the detailed description
Behavioral data:
Our first set of hypotheses tests whether the decision is influenced by stress and social context:
H1a: Stress affects the decision between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, so that participants in the stress conditions choose alcoholic over non-alcoholic drinks more often compared to participants in the no stress conditions.
H1b: Social context affects the decision between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, so that participants in the social conditions choose alcoholic over non-alcoholic drinks more often compared to participants in the alone conditions.
H1c: We test two competing predictions:
(I) The effect of stress on the decision between alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks is modulated by social context, so that the effect of stress is stronger for participants that are in the social condition.
(II) The effect of stress on the decision between alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks is modulated by social context, so that the effect of stress is weaker for participants that are in the social condition
Drift diffusion modeling:
Our second set of hypotheses test how the decision might be influenced by stress and social context:
H2a: Stress affects the bias (but not the drift rate or boundary) parameter of the drift diffusion model, so that the bias parameter is more positive for participants in the stress conditions.
H2b: Social context affects the bias (but not the drift rate or boundary) parameter of the drift diffusion model, so that the bias parameter is more positive for participants in the social conditions.
H2c: Stress and social context have an interactive effect on the bias (but not the drift rate or boundary) parameter of the drift diffusion model, so that the bias parameter is either more or less positive for stressed participants who are in the social condition (in line with H1c).
- Conditions
- Psychological Stress, Social Interaction
- Being tested
- Stress, Social Context
- Keywords
- stress induction, value-based decision-making
- Medical subject headings
- Stress, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
StressOther
Participants randomly assigned to the stress condition will undergo the standard protocol of the Trier Social Stress Test. Participants randomly assigned to the control condition will undergo a validated, non-stressful control procedure mirroring the TSST.
Social ContextOther
Participants randomly assigned to the social condition will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer. Participants randomly assigned to the control condition will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Stress Alone | Experimental | These participants will undergo a stress induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone. Receives: Other: Stress |
| Stress Social | Experimental | These participants will undergo a stress induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer. Receives: Other: Stress; Other: Social Context |
| Control Alone | Experimental | These participants will undergo a control induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone. Receives: Other: Stress; Other: Social Context |
| Control Social | Experimental | These participants will undergo a control induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer. Receives: Other: Social Context |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Proportion of choices for alcoholic over non-alcoholic drinks.
Each participant will complete a two alternative forced-choice task in which they make repeated decisions between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Measured: 5 minutes
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Feb 2026
- Study start1 Feb 2026
- Primary completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Psychological StressStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of WashingtonThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 160 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Washington
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jonas Dora, University of Washington
- Investigators
- Jonas Dora, Principal investigator, University of Washington
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07390084
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00023737
- Other IDs
- R00AA030591
- Acronym
- DoraR00
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 28 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 24 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Anonymized data needed to reproduce our analyses will be shared on the Open Science Framework once the study has been completed.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Exploring the Decision to Drink (More) Alcohol Following Manipulations of Stress and Social Context
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07390084
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- DoraR00 / STUDY00023737
- Conditions
- Psychological Stress, Social Interaction
- Keywords
- stress induction, value-based decision-making
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 160 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of WashingtonUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Study start
- 1 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 5 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This preregistration documents an experiment examining the effects of acute stress and social context on alcohol-related decision-making. The study uses a 2x2 factorial design (stress vs. control × social vs. alone) with dyadic recruitment.
Detailed description
Behavioral data:
Our first set of hypotheses tests whether the decision is influenced by stress and social context:
H1a: Stress affects the decision between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, so that participants in the stress conditions choose alcoholic over non-alcoholic drinks more often compared to participants in the no stress conditions.
H1b: Social context affects the decision between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, so that participants in the social conditions choose alcoholic over non-alcoholic drinks more often compared to participants in the alone conditions.
H1c: We test two competing predictions:
(I) The effect of stress on the decision between alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks is modulated by social context, so that the effect of stress is stronger for participants that are in the social condition.
(II) The effect of stress on the decision between alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks is modulated by social context, so that the effect of stress is weaker for participants that are in the social condition
Drift diffusion modeling:
Our second set of hypotheses test how the decision might be influenced by stress and social context:
H2a: Stress affects the bias (but not the drift rate or boundary) parameter of the drift diffusion model, so that the bias parameter is more positive for participants in the stress conditions.
H2b: Social context affects the bias (but not the drift rate or boundary) parameter of the drift diffusion model, so that the bias parameter is more positive for participants in the social conditions.
H2c: Stress and social context have an interactive effect on the bias (but not the drift rate or boundary) parameter of the drift diffusion model, so that the bias parameter is either more or less positive for stressed participants who are in the social condition (in line with H1c).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Stress Alone | Experimental | Other: StressThese participants will undergo a stress induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone. |
| Stress Social | Experimental | Other: Stress, Other: Social ContextThese participants will undergo a stress induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer. |
| Control Alone | Experimental | Other: Stress, Other: Social ContextThese participants will undergo a control induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone. |
| Control Social | Experimental | Other: Social ContextThese participants will undergo a control induction and will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 21 to 50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Drinking alcohol at least once a week
- Consuming 4 (female) or 5 (male) drinks in one occasion at least once a month
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Currently pregnant or trying to become pregnant
- Past or current treatment for alcohol use
- Past or current medical condition that contraindicates alcohol use
- Past or current reaction to alcohol that contraindicates alcohol use
- Past or current medication that contraindicates alcohol use
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| StressParticipants randomly assigned to the stress condition will undergo the standard protocol of the Trier Social Stress Test. Participants randomly assigned to the control condition will undergo a validated, non-stressful control procedure mirroring the TSST. | Other | Control Alone, Stress Alone, Stress Social |
| Social ContextParticipants randomly assigned to the social condition will make decisions about consuming alcohol with a known peer. Participants randomly assigned to the control condition will make decisions about consuming alcohol alone. | Other | Control Alone, Control Social, Stress Social |
Primary outcome
Proportion of choices for alcoholic over non-alcoholic drinks.
Time frame: 5 minutes
Each participant will complete a two alternative forced-choice task in which they make repeated decisions between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Anonymized data needed to reproduce our analyses will be shared on the Open Science Framework once the study has been completed.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Jonas Dora principal investigator
University of Washington
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Stress and Social Context in people with Psychological Stress and Social Interaction, run by University of Washington at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jonas Dora (2067416330, jdora@uw.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Proportion of choices for alcoholic over non-alcoholic drinks. (time frame: 5 minutes). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Jul 2026.