Substance Use Prevalence and Experiences in Relationships Laboratory
Ongoing Projects
The SUPER lab often has several studies ongoing at any given time. Below is an overview of some of the studies for which we are currently collecting data. Please contact Dr. Neilson if you have any questions about these projects or any other projects that may be ongoing in the lab.
Dr. Neilson recently received a five-year award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to develop a new intervention for college students who have been found responsible for alcohol- or drug-involved sexual misconduct. The project strongly emphasizes implementation science principles and methodology to help ensure the intervention is one that can actually be implemented on college campuses. This project will use surveys, interviews, focus groups, and usability testing of key personnel and invested parties across a variety of campuses in the United States. Data collection is anticipated to begin in Autumn 2026.
The Social Media and Dating study is an online study that is examining perceptions of acceptability and harm from digital surveillance. The study uses an experimental design to examine the extent to which perceptions of digital surveillance vary by first- or third-person account and gender of perpetrator.
The Safety and Communication in Digital Spaces study is a collaboration between Dr. Neilson and Dr. Jeoung Min Lee in the Department of Social Work at UMKC. The study is a mixed methods study to examine how negative experiences in online spaces affect people and the strategies used to protect oneself online. The study focuses on negative sexual experiences in online space, as well as harassment for political identity and beliefs.
The AEDIM study is a collaboration between the SUPER lab and the BEAN Lab at the University of Kansas. The study is examining emotions, alcohol use, and male-female interactions. The study is recruiting male, social drinkers and uses an alcohol administration design in a naturalistic bar-lab at KU in Lawrence, KS and is evaluating a novel mood induction to examine how mood is influenced by acute intoxication and subsequently influences sexual decision-making. Study results will inform future applications for external funding.
To participate in BARS, please click here
The Barriers in Alcohol Research Study (BARS) is a survey of researchers who study the effect of alcohol intoxication on human behavior, including emotions, thoughts, physiology, and behavior. Alcohol administration study methods are diverse, with researchers using many different methods of administration and detoxification. While such methods have been used across many institutes within the United States, Canada, and countries within Europe, little is known about how researchers manage the demands associated with methods of alcohol administration with human subjects. Far less is known about how researches launched such programs at their respective institutions, as well as the institution-level procedures and barriers that may change the method of alcohol administration. The current study seeks to examine the different methods utilized in alcohol administration studies, identify the barriers researchers have experienced, and discuss ways to navigate these barriers to conduct rigorous, ethical research that complies with institutional requirements. The goal will be to disseminate this information in a peer-reviewed publication and presentations to other researchers who may wish to use this method.
Individuals may participate in BARS if they:
1) currently or formerly conducted research in an academic institute;
2) have conducted alcohol administration studies or senior administrators in the laboratory who can comment knowledgeably about their alcohol administration methods and procedures; and
3) are fluent in written English.
The Barriers in Alcohol Research Study was approved by the University Human Subjects Review Committee at Eastern Michigan University (UHSRC-FY22-23-30). Please contact Dr. Neilson at eneilso1@emich.edu for questions.