About

John D. Clapp is a professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and holds the title of Lenore Stein-Wood and William S. Wood Professor of School Behavioral Health. He is internationally recognized as a researcher and expert on alcohol problem prevention. His work focuses on the system dynamics of drinking events, with current studies involving a team of engineers and computer scientists to develop 'smart' real-time prevention applications. Clapp has published more than 100 journal articles in top research journals such as the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Addiction, and Drug and Alcohol Dependence. He has been awarded over $32 million in grants and contracts from organizations including NIAAA, NIDA, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and has served as principal investigator on more than 20 funded projects. Clapp was the founding co-editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research and has played a leadership role in the prevention of alcohol-related problems among college students, including serving six years as the director of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery. His expertise has been featured in numerous international media outlets, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph, and ABC National News. Clapp's educational background includes a PhD from The Ohio State University, an MSW and BA from San Diego State University. His research interests encompass substance abuse, social science methodology, public health, social work, and systems science, with a focus on alcohol and drug epidemiology and prevention.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Computer Science
• Psychiatry
• Political Science
• Multimedia
• Engineering
• Internet privacy
• Internal medicine
• Social psychology
• Applied psychology
• Nursing
• Demography

Selected publications

• Sexual Violence Victimization and Pregaming Protective Behavioral Strategies Among College Students

  Substance Use & Misuse · 2024-08-13

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Sexual violence is a major public health concern that has a detrimental impact on mental health, physical health, and academic performance. College students represent a population that is at an increased risk of experiencing sexual violence. Alcohol use, and more specifically, heavy drinking during pregaming events, is associated with increased risk of sexual violence. Studies have demonstrated that protective behavioral strategies have effectively reduced heavy drinking and the risk of alcohol-related consequences, including sexual violence victimization. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine the association between experiences of sexual violence in college and subsequent use of pregaming protective strategies. RESULTS: Data from 468 college students (67% female, 33% male) were analyzed. Over 42% of participants reported experiencing sexual violence in college. While adjusting for pregaming frequency and sex, results revealed that those who reported experiencing sexual violence in college were significantly less likely to use pregaming protective behavioral strategies compared to those without such experiences. Specifically, survivors of sexual violence were less likely to report using the protective behavioral strategies of minimizing intoxication, as well as behaviors related to safety and familiarity (e.g., using a designated driver after pregaming). CONCLUSIONS: The findings have important implications for interventions aimed at empowering survivors of sexual violence. Future research should focus on understanding survivor's motives and mechanisms to use pregaming protective behavioral strategies to reduce the risk of re-victimization.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “What was the vibe you were going for?” SAM Behaviors and Socialization During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a Qualitative Approach

  Cannabis · 2023-09-13 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: Marijuana use is at historic highs amongst college-aged adults, who are more likely to engage in simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use (SAM) than other age cohorts. For college students, the COVID-19 pandemic is a unique transitory phenomenon that led to isolation, as well as changes in socialization, academic environments, and substance use. This exploratory qualitative study aims to understand SAM socialization and motivation behaviors among college students. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews (N=32) were conducted across the United States from January 2021-April 2021via Zoom. Interviews were then transcribed, then a thematic analysis was conducted in Atlas.ti. Results: The sample was primarily college juniors (mage=21). Since the pandemic, half of the participants increased SAM, whereas the other half decreased SAM. SAM was reported in different categories including primarily with friends, but, much less with partners and with roommates. More than half of the sample indicated that they used SAM alone. Motivations to engage in SAM included relaxing, socializing, offsetting stressors specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, and relieving general stress, anxiety and boredom. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted college students' substance use in interesting ways. Understanding the behaviors of SAM in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial due to the legalization of marijuana in many states. This understanding has significant implications for prevention strategies and potential policy interventions. Our study yielded findings regarding the impact of socialization on SAM. We discovered that not only does socialization affect SAM, but the specific contexts and motivations behind these behaviors also play a crucial role, which adds to our developing understanding of SAM behavior.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Association of over the counter “hangover remedy” use with alcohol use problems and consumption patterns among young adults

  Alcohol and Alcoholism · 2023-11-28 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  This cross-sectional study of young adults examined associations of hangover remedy use with alcohol use problems. Results suggest that ever-use of hangover remedy products was positively associated with alcohol use problem score, drinks per typical drinking day, and alcohol use disorder symptom count. Use of hangover remedies among young adults merits further scientific and regulatory attention.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Moral Injury is a Risk Factor for Substance Use and Suicidality Among US Military Veterans with and without Traumatic Brain Injury

  Journal of Religion and Health · 2023-09-07 · 21 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A mobile-based pregaming drinking prevention intervention for college students: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · 2023-04-13 · 9 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  OBJECTIVE: Pregaming is among the riskiest drinking behaviors in which college students engage, often leading to elevated blood alcohol levels and negative alcohol-related consequences. Yet, tailored interventions to reduce risk associated with pregaming are lacking. The present study was designed to develop and evaluate the efficacy of a brief, mobile-based intervention targeting heavy drinking during pregaming among college students, called Pregaming Awareness in College Environments (PACE). METHOD: = 243), which consisted of general information about the effects of alcohol. Analysis assessed intervention effects on pregaming drinking, global drinking, and alcohol-related consequences at 6 and 14 weeks postintervention. RESULTS: Although participants in both conditions reduced drinking, small and significant intervention effects favoring PACE were found at 6-week follow-up for overall drinking days, pregaming days, and alcohol-related consequences. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the brief mobile PACE intervention has potential to address risky drinking, but more intensive pregaming-focused efforts may be necessary to achieve stronger and lasting effects among college students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• A mobile-based pregaming drinking prevention intervention for college students: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

  Addiction Science & Clinical Practice · 2022-06-18 · 10 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Pregaming is a high-drink context popular among college students that often leads to elevated blood alcohol levels and negative consequences. Over 15 years of research studies have demonstrated that pregaming represents one of the riskiest known behaviors among college students, yet no pregaming-specific interventions have been developed to help prevent this behavior. General brief interventions for students do not reduce pregaming behavior and may not be appropriate, as they do not help students develop skills unique to the pregaming context that could help them drink less. We developed a brief, mobile-based intervention that is proposed to prevent heavy drinking during pregaming for college students, with the ultimate goal that behavioral reductions in this risky practice will ultimately affect global drinking and prevent consequences. METHODS/DESIGN: The intervention, Pregaming Awareness in College Environments (PACE), was developed by combining two innovations to facilitate behavior change: (1) a mobile-based application that increases accessibility, is easy and engaging to use, and broadens the reach of the intervention content and (2) personalized pregaming-specific intervention content with harm reduction and cognitive behavioral skills proven to be mechanisms preventing and reducing heavy drinking among college students. After a develop and beta-test phase, we propose to test the efficacy of PACE in a preliminary randomized controlled trial with 500 college students who pregame at least once per week. Pregaming, general drinking, and alcohol-related consequences outcomes will be examined in the immediate (2 weeks post-intervention) and short-terms (six and 14-week post-intervention). We will also evaluate moderator effects for age, sex, and heaviness of drinking to allow for more refined information for a planned larger test of the intervention to follow this initial trial of PACE. DISCUSSION: This pregaming intervention clinical trial, if found to be efficacious, will culminate with an easily-disseminated mobile-based intervention for college student drinkers. It has the potential to reach millions of college students, perhaps as a clinical tool used by college counseling centers as an adjunct to formal care or as a preventive tool for first-year students or other high-risk groups on campus. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04016766.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Longitudinal trajectories of prescription opioid misuse in adolescents

  Drug and Alcohol Dependence · 2022-04-22 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Increased Risk for Sexual Violence Victimization on Drinking Days Involving Pregaming

  Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma · 2022-04-12 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Alcohol consumption has been associated with increased risk for sexual violence victimization and perpetration. Pregaming, a popular activity among college students that involves heavy and quick drinking prior to going out for the night and often results in high blood alcohol levels (BALs), may convey increased risk for sexual violence-potentially due to greater likelihood of contact with intoxicated perpetrators and significantly impaired victim ability to consent or resist. Yet no published work has evaluated whether there is increased risk for victimization on drinking days that involve pregaming. Using a sample of 390 college student drinkers who completed a past 30-day Timeline Followback, we examined heavy drinking behavior, estimated BALs, and experience of sexual violence victimization during 1,899 drinking days, of which 30% involved pregaming. After controlling for demographics, we found that participants drank approximately two more drinks and reached significantly higher BALs on drinking days where they pregamed as compared to drinking days where they did not pregame. Nearly 6% of drinking days that included pregaming involved sexual violence victimization, compared to about 2% of drinking days where pregaming did not occur. Participants were at 2.71 times the odds of experiencing sexual violence, primarily unwelcomed comments and nonconsensual sexual touching, during drinking days with pregaming. This study represents a first step toward greater understanding of the sexual violence and pregaming link, but future research assessing perpetrator behavior and context-specific factors (e.g., amount consumed by victims and perpetrators, location of sexual violent events and peers present) are needed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Closing the Health Gap

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2022-05-19 · 7 citations

  book-chapter

  Active social work leadership is necessary to achieve national goals of health equity. Indeed, the nation’s health depends on the development of this next wave of interprofessional and transdisciplinary collaboration (McGovern, Miller, & Hughes-Cromwick, 2014). This chapter describes a “geography of science” approach that draws upon diverse disciplines, community leaders, and theoretical and community-center perspectives. Social work, must train professionals in how improve availability and access to the social determinants of good health. This includes understand how racism constitutes an important social determinant of health. We must also educate allied professionals to develop the practice and research tools, community partnerships, and localized programs necessary to combat social and economic inequities. Ten priorities for changing health systems to achieve equitable health care are advanced. Finally, to secure true, sustainable, population-based health changes, social work must assist the health professions to unite and develop transdisciplinary approaches to addressing the multilayered contributions of political, economic, and social determinants of population health inequities.

  PublisherDOI

• Zoom (Virtual) Happy Hours and Drinking During COVID-19 in the US: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

  Health Behavior and Policy Review · 2021 · 25 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Sociology
  • Psychology

  Objective: In this study, we investigated video conferencing platforms (eg, Zoom) used as a means to gather virtually as a unique drinking environment during the pandemic. Methods: Using online recruitment strategies, we conducted 42 qualitative Zoom® interviews. Interviewees were 21-64 years of age from various locations in the United States. Results: During the pandemic, most individuals reported higher drinking intake to offset boredom and stress. As a drinking environment, video conferencing calls were perceived as poor substitutes for in-person drinking interactions. Conclusions: Our data suggest drinking behaviors and contexts changed during the pandemic restrictions, but virtual happy hours did not drive this change.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01AA013968

  NIH · $2.2M · 2010

• NIH Grant RC1DA028031

  NIH · $982k · 2012

Frequent coauthors

• James E. Lange

  San Diego State University

  182 shared

• Robert B. Voas

  Pacific Institute For Research and Evaluation

  179 shared

• Mark B. Johnson

  Pacific Institute For Research and Evaluation

  172 shared

• Rob Turrisi

  Pennsylvania State University

  162 shared

• James Jaccard

  New York University

  162 shared

• Racheal Reavy

  Pennsylvania State University

  162 shared

• Mary E. Larimer

  University of Washington

  162 shared

• Audrey M. Shillington

  San Jose State University

  41 shared

Awards & honors

• 2018 Research Laureate American Academy of Health Behavior