Smartphone Help for DWI Offenders and Their Families: A B-SMART App

Driving while intoxicatedDWIremains a substantial and preventable source of morbidity and mortality in the United StatesA variety of sanctions and interventions have been attempted to reduce DWI in the U Sincluding enhanced DWI enforcement effortsstricter drunk driving lawsresponsible alcohol beverage service trainingand alcohol treatmentThe Ignition Interlock DeviceIIDwhich requires a driver to blow into a breathalyzer unit installed in an automobile to establish sobrietyreduces drunk driving while installedThe use of IIDs has become widespreadmost states in the U Snow require convicted drunk drivers to install an IID in their cars upon some form of convictionHoweverresearch has conclusively shown that once the IIDs are removed from DWI offenderscarsDWI recidivism levels return to those comparable to offenders who did not have an IIDInterventions are needed to increase the likelihood that the effectiveness of IIDs persists beyond the installation periodThe Brief Family Involved TreatmentB FITis a promising intervention to improve DWI recidivism by affecting the social environment of DWI offendersProposed here is Phase II researcha continuation of the original Phase I projectthat will complete the translation of B FIT into the BSMART mobile web app for smartphonesThe content of the intervention will be based on empiricallyvalidated couples therapy for those with alcohol use disorders developed by Co Investigator McCradytranslated to a smartphone platformPhase II of this project will involve the systematic completion of BSMARTemployingan Expert Advisory Boardanditerative developmentmultimedia and usability focus groupsand interviews comprised of CFM and DWI offendersB SMART will be fully produced for DWI offenders and their concerned family membersCFMand then tested in a randomized controlled efficacy trial with first time DWI offendersnand their CFMsnrecruited from the Santa Fe County DWI ProgramUnique to this intervention are the involvement of family members in supporting the DWI offender to not drink and drive and the use of smartphone technology to make that support immediateaccessibleand diffusibleB SMART will involve the CFMs by providing coping skillscommunication skillsand strategies to help avoid DWIThe randomized efficacy trial of B SMART will examine B SMART s impact on a variety of alcohol related dependent variablesincluding IID lockout eventsalcohol useand family functioningShould B SMART be demonstrated to impact DWI offenders and their family members by reducing IID Lockout Eventswhich predict future DWI recidivismand alcohol useand improving family functioningDWI offenderstheir familiesand their communities will have an importanteffectiveaccessible tool to further reduce the socialhealth and economic consequences of DWI The smart phone applicationB SMARTto be developed in this research project for family members of DWIDriving While Intoxicatedoffenders and offenders themselves will extend the impact of the Ignition Interlock DeviceIIDand help DWI offenders and their families avoid drunk driving once the IID is removed from their automobilesAs suchthe public health consequences of DWIin terms of healthmorbidity and mortalityand its economic and societal consequenceswill be positively influenced by a highly accessible and diffusible interventionThe proposed Phase II project will complete the development and programming of the B SMART smartphone web app and test its impact in a randomized efficacy trial with first time DWI offenders and their concerned family members