Leveraging Implementation Science to Develop a Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Misuse and Tobacco Use among Sexual Violence Survivors

The overarching goal of this Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01) is to provide Dr. Anne Marie Schipani-McLaughlin with the training and research activities needed to become an independent investigator. Her program of research will focus on developing and supporting the adoption, implementation, and dissemination of trauma-informed interventions addressing sexual violence (SV), alcohol misuse and tobacco use among college students. Sexual violence victimization (SV), alcohol misuse, and tobacco use are pervasive intersecting public health epidemics on U.S. college campuses. Individuals who experience SV victimization are at an increased risk of alcohol misuse and tobacco use. Although mindfulness-based interventions are recognized as an interdisciplinary mechanism of change, there are no existing trauma-informed post-SV interventions to reduce alcohol misuse and tobacco use among college students. There are documented challenges in adoption, dissemination, and implementation of interventions on alcohol and SV on college campuses. This K01 study aims to overcome existing challenges by applying an implementation science framework to develop and support future adoption and dissemination of MindfulHeal, a web-based post-SV mindfulness-based intervention to reduce post-SV alcohol misuse and tobacco use among college students. This innovative proposal includes training activities to ensure that Dr. Schipani-McLaughlin achieves the following four career goals: 1) Develop expertise in designing mindfulness-based interventions to reduce alcohol misuse and tobacco use post-SV; 2) cultivate knowledge and skills in implementation science and community engagement to support adoption and dissemination of efficacious SV and alcohol interventions; 3) obtain advanced training in intensive longitudinal data analysis and structural equation modeling that will be used to examine ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) data; and 4) shift to scientific independence through honing skills in effective project and grant management, mentoring, and leadership. The mentorship team includes a multidisciplinary team of accomplished mentors in clinical psychology, public health, and implementation science who will provide training to Dr. Schipani-McLaughlin in the following domains: alcohol misuse, tobacco use, trauma-informed interventions for SV survivors; implementation science and community engagement, mindfulness-based interventions and EMA. Dr. Schipani-McLaughlin will apply the skills acquired during the training activities to her K01 research project that aims to 1) develop MindfulHeal using implementation science frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and formative research with the target population, college student SV survivors, and 2) assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of MindfulHeal in a pilot RCT through self-report and EMA data collection. The proposed training and research activities will prepare Dr. Schipani-McLaughlin for an independent research career as an alcohol research implementation scientist of interventions addressing alcohol, tobacco, and SV.