Investigator Development (IDeA) Award 2023: Matt Woodward

Institution: Western Kentucky University

Department: Psychological Sciences

Rank: Associate Professor

Project Title: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Trauma-Informed and Peer-Supported Mobile Brief Intervention for Alcohol and Cannabis Users with Interpersonal Trauma

About the project: This project will examine the effectiveness of a digital brief intervention for trauma survivors with heavy substance use that is augmented with peer support. 

Intended outcomes: The hope is that participants will have a positive impression of the intervention, that it will provide some useful skills for managing stress, and that it will result in a significant reduction in heavy alcohol and drug use.

How KY INBRE will help accomplish these goals: KY INBRE funding will provide the opportunity to pilot the intervention to determine initial effectiveness and examine potential modifications that may need to be made to further enhance the intervention. This pilot data will support an application for NIH funding to continue to develop and disseminate the intervention. 

Outside of the classroom/lab: I enjoy taking my two dogs on hikes, making homemade pizzas, and woodworking!

Year 2 Update: KY INBRE funding has allowed us to develop and collect some pilot data on our proposed intervention. Although data collection is ongoing, preliminary results indicate that our intervention has been helpful both for reducing substance use and improving mental health!