Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Dec 3, 2025
Date Accepted: Aug 24, 2026
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Blending Tech and Therapy: A Pilot Trial of Problem-Solving Therapy with Apple Watch Support for College Students with Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms
ABSTRACT
Background:
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) involves impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse consequences and a major public health problem as well. While AUD is the most prevalent in college students, integrated evidence-based treatments for this population are lacking.
Objective:
The objective of our study was to test PST-APPLE’s feasibility and acceptability in this target population and to preliminarily investigate the effectiveness of PST-APPLE among young adults with symptoms of AUD.
Methods:
Participants were recruited through online advertisement and on-campus at the University of Illinois Chicago and Rush University in the Chicago area. After tele-orientation and informed consent was obtained, participants completed a baseline survey regarding their alcohol use, cognition, and quality of life. They were then randomized to intervention (PST-APPLE: 12 individuals) or control group (education only: 14 individuals). Participants in the PST-APPLE intervention group completed 12 weeks of PST-APPLE intervention, delivered remotely via Zoom videoconferences and interactions with Apple Watch. Participants in the control group were asked to watch a 20-min abstinence motivation video, then participated in a 30-minute group discussion via Zoom. All participants completed follow-up assessments at 3 months.
Results:
We enrolled 26 participants, and all participants completed the study procedures. The mean age was 22.5 years (SD = 2.20, range 18-25), and 50% of the participants were female. We found significant improvements between pre- and post-intervention measures in the intervention group, by paired t-tests, including reduced alcohol misuse and problems (AUDIT and RAPI scores) and reduced Drinking Motives Questionnaire Revised (DMQ-R) social and coping motivations scores.
Conclusions:
Our study findings indicate that PST-APPLE intervention is feasible and acceptable, and preliminary findings suggest it is effective among college students with AUD. Future studies could translate PST-APPLE to other wrist-worn electronic devices/watches that capture physiological data (e.g., Fitbit, Samsung Galaxy Watch), to increase reach and scalability, particularly among younger adults and digitally literate populations. Clinical Trial: # NCT06333288
Citation
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