About

Matthew K. Meisel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University. He earned his Ph.D. in Behavior and Brain Sciences from the University of Georgia in 2015 and completed his postdoctoral training at Brown University in 2017. His primary research areas include the theory and application of social network analysis, social influence and social selection on alcohol use, developmental transitions among young adults, and education-based health disparities. In June 2024, he received an R01 grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to investigate how alcohol use changes after young adults enter different work occupations and how work environment characteristics relate to alcohol consumption. His overarching goal is to inform treatment and develop interventions addressing hazardous substance use.

Research topics

• Clinical psychology
• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Medicine
• Developmental psychology
• Psychiatry
• Internal medicine

Selected publications

• Perceived norms and e-cigarette use among young adults in US college: The mediation role of outcome expectancies

  Journal of American College Health · 2026-02-24

  article

  OBJECTIVES: This study examines the mediating roles of outcome expectancies in the relationship between perceived norms and e-cigarette use among college-aged young adults. PARTICIPANTS: = 1.48; women = 82.0%; White = 83.4%). METHODS: A confidential online survey on young adults' e-cigarette network was administered to college students at a large Hispanic-serving public university in the southwestern United States. RESULTS: Positive reinforcement expectancies partially mediated the association between descriptive norms and daily e-cigarette use frequency. Thus, descriptive norms had a positive indirect effect on daily e-cigarette use frequency through positive reinforcement expectancies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight that positive reinforcement outcome expectancies, such as enjoying the flavor of e-cigarettes, may be critical in explaining the association between descriptive norms and e-cigarette use among college students. College-based e-cigarette prevention campaigns should challenge positive beliefs about e-cigarettes and target students with negative reinforcement expectancies, who are at higher risk for dependence.

  PublisherDOI

• When are bystanders more likely and confident to act: Validation of the Bystanders to Alcohol Risk Scales—Willingness and self-efficacy.

  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · 2026-05-04

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the psychometrics of two new measures of willingness and self-efficacy to intervene in alcohol-related risk situations involving others. Items assess the constructs across bystander scenarios that vary by situation (before, during, after risk), one's relation to the target (friend/stranger), and the gender of the target (man/woman). METHOD: 22.0 years, 46.0% women, 70.7% White, 23.3% Latinx) completed the new measures and related measures to assess validity, and a subsample was retested 2 weeks later. Multivariate variance decomposition was used to determine how the scenario components influenced variance; bivariate correlations evaluated validity, and intraclass correlations evaluated test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Models for willingness and self-efficacy constructs fit the data well. The largest component contributing to both measures was the general component, reflecting overall willingness/self-efficacy regardless of situation, relation, and gender components (αs > .90). For willingness, the next largest component was situation, with "after" drinking showing the greatest variability but the lowest mean. For self-efficacy, the second most important component was relation to the target, with friend showing higher self-efficacy than stranger. Participants indicated higher willingness and self-efficacy when the target was a woman, and women participants reported higher willingness than men. Validity was supported by significant correlations with bystander behaviors and alcohol-related constructs. Test-retest reliability indicated moderate stability for both measures (intraclass correlations = 0.50-0.64). CONCLUSIONS: These measures provide valid and reliable tools for measuring bystander intervention willingness and self-efficacy in alcohol-related risk situations and offer utility for the evaluation of bystander intervention programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• The utility of bluetooth and smartphone technology to detect peer contact.

  Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology · 2026-02-09

  articleOpen access

  = 55; 40% women) completed a 3-week protocol, during which peers carried a small Bluetooth beacon that was detected by participant smartphones. Participants indicated the presence of peers on beacon signal-contingent ecological momentary assessment reports and three daily random reports. Feasibility of participant recruitment was low, primarily due to Android OS updates requiring app revisions that interrupted recruitment. However, feasibility of peer enrollment was high, occurring rapidly but at a lower-than-expected number. Response latencies to signal-contingent and random reports were similar, indicating good feasibility of the ecological momentary assessment report procedures. Acceptability, reflected in high retention for participants and peers, participant self-report ratings, and good ecological momentary assessment report response rates (76%-79%), was high. Functionality was moderate; problems with the app were reported by almost half of participants, and functionality ratings were lower than for acceptability. For validity, the beacon detection technology identified 61% of participant-reported encounters (true positives), with 5.6% false positives. False negatives (39%) were likely due to peer noncompliance or misreporting. Results support the initial utility of Bluetooth-based passive detection for identifying peer presence in real time, offering potential for use in just-in-time interventions targeting health-risk behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Insights on Media Alcohol Exposure Following Daily Self‐Monitoring: Strategies for Prevention and Intervention in Adolescents

  Alcohol Clinical and Experimental Research · 2026-05-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Adolescent exposure to alcohol-related media content is widespread and may contribute to early initiation and risky patterns of use. Using a sample of participants who self-monitored their alcohol exposure during adolescence, the aim of this qualitative study was to gain their perspectives on alcohol-related media exposure, its perceived influence, and potential strategies to mitigate associated risks. METHODS: Adolescents aged 15-18 were enrolled into a multi-burst (21 day bursts) ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study based on prior alcohol involvement (any lifetime use or having at least one close friend who consumed alcohol). Following completion of the EMA study, individuals who reported exposure to alcohol content in the media (minimum 10 instances across the EMA study period) were selected to participate in focus groups. Eight (N = 42; M age = 18.21; SD = 0.84; 42.9% woman; 40.5% White, 71.4% non-Hispanic) focus groups were conducted via Zoom. Transcripts were double-coded and thematically analyzed. RESULTS: During the focus groups, youth perceived an increased awareness of the prevalence and sources of alcohol-related content, including from peers and family members. Four themes emerged as strategies identified by youth to mitigate the impact of media alcohol exposure: increasing accurate portrayals of alcohol risks, earlier alcohol education, greater government regulation of alcohol-related content, and promoting sobriety and sober culture. Participants recommended several strategies for more accurately portraying alcohol risks and harms on social media, such as infographics, short-form videos, real-time polls, disclaimers, and personal stories. CONCLUSIONS: In a sample of youth who had previously self-monitored their exposure to alcohol content in media, findings highlight their understanding of alcohol exposure from a variety of media sources, including television, movies, and social media, and suggest a need for alcohol prevention strategies that involve educators, parents, policymakers, and social media platforms.

  PublisherDOI

• Examination of social network members’ influence on daily drinking: A pilot study

  Addictive Behaviors Reports · 2026-02-21

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  • Daily drinks increased with each additional network member who was drinking. • Being with a drinking network member increase daily use by nearly two drinks. • Network members who were frequent drinkers were influential. • Network members who participants expected to drink with were influential. Research on young adult alcohol use often overlooks the influence of specific social network members on daily alcohol use. This pilot study combined egocentric social network methods with a daily diary design to examine how network members influence drinking at the day level. Participants (N = 21) identified six social network members they frequently drank with and saw in person and then reported on these individuals in a 21-day study. Daily reports captured self-reported alcohol use and social network members presence and alcohol use from the previous day. Across 417 morning reports, participants drank on 77 days (18.5%), consuming an average of 2.36 drinks ( SD = 1.70) on those days. Linear mixed-effects models showed that being with a given network member who was drinking was associated with consuming 1.75 more drinks than the participant’s average. Network members who contributed to higher alcohol use were more likely to be people the participant intended to drink with in the future and who had frequently consumed alcohol in the past month, regardless of whether it was with the participant. The findings from this pilot study provide preliminary evidence that the drinking of and anticipating future drinking with certain network members contributes to greater alcohol use and suggests that interventions could use personalized feedback to help individuals recognize the network members who facilitate heavier drinking.

  PublisherDOI

• Social Achievement Goals and Alcohol Use Outcomes in a Network of College Students

  Substance Use & Misuse · 2025-05-15

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Social achievement goals are individuals' orientations toward attaining competence in social situations. Social achievement goals have been linked to outcomes such as belongingness, loneliness, and bullying perpetration among college students. Given that college students consume alcohol for social reasons, it is possible that a person's orientation toward social competence could be related to their drinking. This research examined whether the dimensions of social achievement goal orientations predict alcohol-related outcomes. METHODS: = 20.6 years) at one mid-sized, private university in the northeast assessments: one in the Fall (T1) and one in the Spring of their junior year (T2), in which they completed measures of social achievement goal orientation and alcohol use outcomes, with associations analyzed using network autocorrelation models. RESULTS: T1 social demonstration-approach goals (i.e., need to gain popularity and receive positive evaluations from friends) was positively associated with T2 heavy drinking, maximum drinking, and alcohol-related consequences. T1 social development goals (i.e., an individual's desire to grow socially by building meaningful relationships and improving interpersonal competence) was negatively associated with T2 alcohol-related consequences. T1 social demonstration-avoidance goals was not associated with any T2 alcohol-related outcomes. CONCLUSION: Individuals with high social demonstration-approach goals may be susceptible to peer influence and may be more likely to experience consequences when they drink; they could be targeted for interventions addressing social influence.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Measuring what happens when bystanders help in drinking situations: The bystanders to alcohol risk scales–positive and negative consequences.

  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · 2025-07-14

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVE: Understanding the consequences that occur when bystanders intervene to address problematic alcohol use in others is of utmost importance because the consequences that bystanders experience can influence their behavior in future situations. Consequences are defined as the effects of attempting to help another person and may be positive and/or negative. Given the dearth of measurement scales for alcohol-related bystander intervention, the present study aimed to develop two valid and reliable measures of consequences following alcohol-related bystander intervention: one assessing positive consequences and one assessing negative consequences. METHOD: = 345) completed a 2-week follow-up to evaluate test-retest reliability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory were used to examine model fit and reduce the number of items. Correlations with established measures were used to evaluate validity. RESULTS: One-factor solutions demonstrated the best fit for both measures. Both measures demonstrated strong internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and evidence of convergent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed Bystanders to Alcohol Risk Scale-Positive Consequence and Bystanders to Alcohol Risk Scale-Negative Consequence are valid and reliable measures of the consequence bystanders experience when they intervene during alcohol-related situations. These measures might be used for surveillance of consequences among bystanders or as a measure of outcomes following bystander intervention training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• A scoping review of Dry January: evidence and future directions

  Alcohol and Alcoholism · 2025-07-16 · 3 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Dry January is a temporary alcohol abstinence challenge where participants commit to abstaining from drinking alcohol for one month. It has grown in popularity since its inception >10 years ago. The current scoping review sought to broadly characterize the peer-reviewed literature on Dry January, summarize its main findings, strengths and limitations, and delineate future research directions. In total, 90 publications were screened and 16 were reviewed. Findings revealed that compared to drinkers in the general population who did not participate, Dry January participants tended to report having higher incomes, completed university education, reported being female, younger, and engaging in heavy drinking at baseline. Those who consumed light to moderate amounts of alcohol were more likely to report successfully abstaining than heavier drinkers. Among successful abstainers, short- and mid-term sustained reductions in self-reported alcohol use and improved biological outcomes, well-being, and drink refusal self-efficacy were observed. Benefits were also reported among those who did not fully abstain. Most Dry January participants would participate in the program again. Overall, Dry January demonstrates significant promise and warrants more rigorous research. As nearly all extant research derives from the United Kingdom, future research should investigate applications and effects beyond that population.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bystander assessments for hazardous alcohol use: Qualitative methods for item development informed by bystander theory.

  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · 2025-02-01

  articleOpen access

  : Generated item sets will facilitate research applying bystander intervention to alcohol-related harm. Qualitative methods described herein should be useful for researchers applying existing frameworks to new areas and themes identified from this work will facilitate research focused on bystander intervention to prevent alcohol-related harms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Associations between interpersonal communication, perceived norms, and e-cigarette use: the moderating role of social network size

  Addiction Research & Theory · 2025-06-11 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  Background: Prior studies have found that e-cigarette-related interpersonal communication and perceived norms are associated with young adults' e-cigarette use. However, it is unclear whether social network size moderates these relationships. This study examined the relationship between interpersonal discussions, perceived norms, and e-cigarette use outcomes (i.e., daily vaping episodes and vaping days per week) and further examined whether network size moderates these relationships. Methods: = 21.20; SD = 3.92). Results: There was a significant and positive association between e-cigarette-related interpersonal communication, daily vaping episodes, and vaping days per week, but not for perceived norms. In addition, we found a significant interaction between interpersonal communication and network size. Follow-up Johnson-Neyman analyses revealed that the association between the frequency of e-cigarette discussions and vaping days per week was significant and positive when network size was low to medium; however, this relationship changes and becomes non-significant when network size was high. Conclusions: The results highlight that young adults who are in smaller social networks and frequently discuss e-cigarettes may be susceptible to vaping multiple times per day and days per week. Therefore, interventions to reduce e-cigarette use among young adults may be particularly effective when implemented within smaller social networks.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Developmental Transitions, Social Networks, and Alcohol Use Among Non Four-Year College Emerging Adults

  NIH · $180k · 2017–2023

Frequent coauthors

• Nancy P. Barnett

  John Brown University

  83 shared

• Graham DiGuiseppi

  RAND Corporation

  28 shared

• Michelle Haikalis

  John Brown University

  24 shared

• Sara G. Balestrieri

  Brown University

  22 shared

• Melissa A. Clark

  Providence College

  18 shared

• Shannon R. Kenney

  Butler Hospital

  18 shared

• Miles Q. Ott

  15 shared

• Rochelle K. Rosen

  Miriam Hospital

  10 shared

Labs

• Meisel, MatthewPI

Education

• Ph.D., Behavior and Brain Sciences

  University of Georgia

  2015

• Other

  Brown University

  2017