An interventional study of Singularities Game and Food4Thought in Alcohol Problem, Harm Reduction and Alcohol-Related Harm, sponsored by University of Pittsburgh. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 14 Years to 18 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-12.
Sponsored by University of Pittsburgh · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
This is a randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of a game-based intervention to reduce alcohol-related harms among sexual and gender minority youth.
Exclusion Criteria:
Singularities is an online game.
Behavioral: Singularities Game
Food4Thought is an attention control condition in which we provide participants with similar amounts of research team contact and program contact as the intervention. Participants will play the game Pick Your Plate! A Global Guide to Nutrition, developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Participants are instructed to build healthy meals using cuisine from around the world while ensuring they stick to a budget and meet all their nutritional needs. Food4Thought will be delivered via Qualtrics.
Behavioral: Food4Thought
Singularities is a theory-based, community-informed, web-accessible, roleplaying game-based intervention incorporating 4 primary components: fostering healthy identity development in a safe environment; encouraging help-seeking behaviors; encouraging use of productive coping; alcohol-harm reduction; and encouraging healthy internet and social media use.
Food4Thought is an attention control condition in which we provide participants with similar amounts of research team contact and program contact as the intervention. Participants will play the game Pick Your Plate! A Global Guide to Nutrition, developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Participants are instructed to build healthy meals using cuisine from around the world while ensuring they stick to a budget and meet all their nutritional needs. Food4Thought will be delivered via Qualtrics.
Alcohol-related Harms
Primary outcome is alcohol-related harms defined as the frequency of 19 total harms (e.g., Hangover after drinking, Unable to remember what happened after drinking, Had sex that you later regretted, Trouble with parent(s) because of drinking Physical fight because you were affected by alcohol, Drove in a vehicle after drinking) as measured in the School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP)
Time frame: 3 months
Drinking Quantity
Number of drinks consumed on a typical day of drinking in the past three months via Quantity-Frequency items
Time frame: 3 months
Drinking Frequency
Number of days on which one or more drinks were consumed in past month via Quantity-Frequency items.
Time frame: 3 months
Binge Drinking
Number of times where 4 or 5+ drinks (asking both, regardless of assigned/biological sex at birth to be inclusive of gender minorities) were consumed in a 2-hour period over the past 3 months, via NIAAA items
Time frame: 3 months
Alcohol Use Initiation
Survey item from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey assessing lifetime alcohol use.
Time frame: 3 months
Alcohol Harm Reduction Skills
Which behaviors are engaged in while drinking or partying, measured with the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS). Scores range from 20 to 120, with higher scores indicating more skills used
Time frame: 3 months
Bystander Alcohol Harm Reduction Skills
Total # of times a specific strategy was used to help others before, during, or after drinking, using the Strategies subscale of the Bystanders to Alcohol Risk Scale (BARS). Scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more skills used
Time frame: 3 months
Emotional Distress Tolerance Skills
Beliefs about feeling distressed or upset, measured with the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS). Scores range from 15 to 75, with higher scores indicating a poorer outcome
Time frame: 3 months
Emotion Regulation and Decentering Practices
How often mindfulness practices are used, measured with the Applied Mindfulness Process Scale (AMPS). Scores range from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating a better outcome
Time frame: 3 months
Healthy Social Media Use
Endorsement of beliefs and thoughts about social media, using MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey items
Time frame: 3 months
| Milestone | Singularities Game | Food4Thought |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 13 | 10 |
| Completed | 0 | 0 |
| Not completed | 13 | 10 |
Primary outcome is alcohol-related harms defined as the frequency of 19 total harms (e.g., Hangover after drinking, Unable to remember what happened after drinking, Had sex that you later regretted, Trouble with parent(s) because of drinking Physical fight because you were affected by alcohol, Drove in a vehicle after drinking) as measured in the School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHAHRP)
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Number of drinks consumed on a typical day of drinking in the past three months via Quantity-Frequency items
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Number of days on which one or more drinks were consumed in past month via Quantity-Frequency items.
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Number of times where 4 or 5+ drinks (asking both, regardless of assigned/biological sex at birth to be inclusive of gender minorities) were consumed in a 2-hour period over the past 3 months, via NIAAA items
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Survey item from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey assessing lifetime alcohol use.
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Which behaviors are engaged in while drinking or partying, measured with the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS). Scores range from 20 to 120, with higher scores indicating more skills used
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Total # of times a specific strategy was used to help others before, during, or after drinking, using the Strategies subscale of the Bystanders to Alcohol Risk Scale (BARS). Scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more skills used
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Beliefs about feeling distressed or upset, measured with the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS). Scores range from 15 to 75, with higher scores indicating a poorer outcome
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
How often mindfulness practices are used, measured with the Applied Mindfulness Process Scale (AMPS). Scores range from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating a better outcome
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Endorsement of beliefs and thoughts about social media, using MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey items
No measurements were reported for this outcome.
Collected over From enrollment until termination of trial, approximately 1 month. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singularities Game | 0/13 (0%) | 0/13 (0%) | 0/13 (0%) |
| Food4Thought | 0/10 (0%) | 0/10 (0%) | 0/10 (0%) |
Trial was terminated before all enrolled participants were randomized.
| Age, Categorical(Participants) | Singularities Game | Food4Thought | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| <=18 years | 13 | 10 | 23 |
| Between 18 and 65 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| >=65 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Singularities Game | Food4Thought | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 10 | 8 | 18 |
| Male | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Singularities Game | Food4Thought | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asian | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| White | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| More than one race | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Singularities Game | Food4Thought | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 11 | 9 | 20 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: Yes — Data sharing plan and archiving of de-identified data as required by NIH
Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap, Icf
This study is terminated, as verified in Mar 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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