Effects of a brief motivational intervention with college student drinkers.

This study consisted of a randomized controlled trial of a 1-session motivational intervention for college student binge drinkers. Sixty students who reported binge drinking 2 or more times in the past 30 days were randomly assigned to either a no-treatment control or a brief intervention group. The intervention provided students with feedback regarding personal consumption, perceived drinking norms, alcohol-related problems, situations associated with heavy drinking, and alcohol expectancies. At 6-week follow-up, the brief intervention group exhibited significant reductions on number of drinks consumed per week, number of times drinking alcohol in the past month, and frequency of binge drinking in the past month. Estimates of typical student drinking mediated these reductions. This study replicates earlier research on the efficacy of brief interventions with college students and extends previous work regarding potential mechanisms of change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of drink price and next-day responsibilities on college student drinking: A behavioral economic analysis.

More than [3/4] of U.S. college students report a heavy drinking episode (HDE; 5 (for men) and 4 (for women) drinks during an occasion) in the previous 90 days. This pattern of drinking is associated with various risks and social problems for both the heavy drinkers and the larger college community. According to behavioral economics, college student drinking is a contextually bound phenomenon that is impacted by contingencies such as price and competing alternative reinforcers, including next-day responsibilities such as college classes. This study systematically examines the role of these variables by using hypothetical alcohol purchase tasks to analyze alcohol consumption and expenditures among college students who reported recent heavy drinking (N = 207, 53.1% women). The impact of gender and the personality risk factor sensation seeking (SS) were also assessed. Students were asked how many drinks they would purchase and consume across 17 drink prices and 3 next-day responsibility scenarios. Mean levels of hypothetical consumption were highly sensitive to both drink price and next-day responsibility, with the lowest drinking levels associated with high drink prices and a next-day test. Men and participants with greater levels of SS reported more demand overall (greater consumption and expenditures) than women and students with low SS personality. Contrary to our hypotheses women appeared to be less sensitive to increases in price than men. The results suggest that increasing drink prices and morning academic requirements may be useful in preventing heavy drinking among college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential utility of three indexes of risky drinking for predicting alcohol problems in college students.

This study evaluated the relationship between alcohol-related problems and 3 indexes of risky drinking in college student drinkers: number of drinks consumed per week, frequency of binge drinking, and estimated blood alcohol levels (BALs). Use of 2 independent samples (N??=?204, N??=?181) allowed a cross-validation of obtained associations. Results indicated that neither binge drinking frequency nor BAL were more highly related to alcohol-related problems than was weekly drinking. Furthermore, BAL did not provide unique explanatory power in accounting for alcohol-related problems; mixed results were obtained regarding the relationship of binge drinking estimates with problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative efficacy of a brief motivational intervention for college student drinkers.

The authors evaluated the efficacy of Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS; L. A. Dimeff, J. S. Baer, D. R. Kivlahan, & G. A. Marlatt, 1999), a single session of drinking-related feedback intended to reduce heavy drinking and related harm. 84 college student drinkers (N?=?99) were assigned to BASICS, an educational intervention, or an assessment-only control group. At 3 months post-intervention, there were no overall significant group differences, but heavier drinking BASICS participants showed greater reductions in weekly alcohol consumption and binge drinking than did heavier drinking control and education participants. At 9 months, heavier drinking BASICS participants again showed the largest effect sizes. BASICS participants evaluated the intervention more favorably than did education participants. This study suggests that BASICS may be more efficacious than educational interventions for heavier drinking college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

College student employment and drinking: A daily study of work stressors, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol consumption.

We examined the within-person relationships between daily work stressors and alcohol consumption over 14 consecutive days in a sample of 106 employed college students. Using a tension reduction theoretical framework, we predicted that exposure to work stressors would increase alcohol consumption by employed college students, particularly for men and those with stronger daily expectancies about the tension reducing properties of alcohol. After controlling for day of the week, we found that hours worked were positively related to number of drinks consumed. Workload was unrelated to alcohol consumption, and work-school conflict was negatively related to consumption, particularly when students expressed strong beliefs in the tension reducing properties of alcohol. There was no evidence that the effects of work stressors were moderated by sex. The results illustrate that employment during the academic year plays a significant role in college student drinking and suggest that the employment context may be an appropriate intervention site to address the problem of student drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A randomized motivational enhancement prevention group reduces drinking and alcohol consequences in first-year college women.

Alcohol consumption among college students has become an increasing problem that requires attention from college administrators, staff, and researchers. Despite the physiological differences between men and women, college women are drinking at increasingly risky rates, placing them at increased risk for negative consequences. The current study tested a group motivational enhancement approach to the prevention of heavy drinking among 1st-year college women. Using a randomized design, the authors assigned participants either to a group that received a single-session motivational enhancement intervention to reduce risky drinking that focused partly on women's specific reasons for drinking (n = 126) or to an assessment-only control group (n =94). Results indicated that, relative to the control group participants, intervention participants drank fewer drinks per week, drank fewer drinks at peak consumption events, and had fewer alcohol-related consequences over a 10-week follow-up. Further, the intervention, which targeted women's reasons for drinking, was more effective in reducing consumption for participants with high social and enhancement motivations for drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Protective behavioral strategies and the relationship between depressive symptoms and alcohol-related negative consequences among college students.

Approximately 40% of college students reported engaging in heavy episodic or "binge" drinking in the 2 weeks prior to being surveyed. Research indicates that college students suffering from depression are more likely to report experiencing negative consequences related to their drinking than other students are. The reasons for this relationship have not been well-studied. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine whether use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS), defined as cognitive-behavioral strategies an individual can use when drinking alcohol that limit both consumption and alcohol-related problems, mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and alcohol-related negative consequences among college students. Data were obtained from 686 participants from a large, public university who were referred to an alcohol intervention as a result of violating on-campus alcohol policies. Results from structural equation modeling analyses indicated that use of PBS partially mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and alcohol-related negative consequences. Implications for clinicians treating college students who report experiencing depressive symptoms or consuming alcohol are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Defining binge drinking quantities through resulting blood alcohol concentrations.

Binge drinking as a researchable construct has generally been defined as 5 or more drinks on one occasion. However, no study has been conducted to determine whether the binge concept that implies excessive drunkenness is being optimally captured within that level. Random interviews of 1,059 drinkers returning from visiting bars in Tijuana, with breath tests, provided both blood alcohol concentration (BAC) measurements and the self-reported number of drinks consumed. Results indicate that currently used definitions of binge drinking predict relatively low BACs and may not be capturing the excessive-drunkenness quality of the term. Consumption duration may explain the lower BACs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Episodic heavy drinking among college students: Methodological issues and longitudinal perspectives.

Longitudinal data from 81 undergraduates (47 women and 34 men) were used for concurrent and predictive validation of binge drinking measures. Results suggest relative strengths and weaknesses of different binge definitions. The conventional binge measure of >5 drinks in a row (≥4 drinks in a row for women) yielded higher prevalence estimates and higher sensitivity but less specificity than other quantity-frequency measures using alcohol-related problems as the criterion. Alternative binge measures resulted in lower prevalence rates and sensitivity but higher specificity for alcohol-related problems. Only a subset of students exhibited heavy drinking patterns consistently over time. Such consistent heavy drinking was significantly more strongly associated with increased risk of adverse alcohol-related consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-organization of alcohol-related attitudes and beliefs in a campus housing complex: An initial investigation.

The self-organization of college students' alcohol-related attitudes and their beliefs about other students' attitudes were assessed within a campus housing complex. Pluralistic ignorance was widespread, in that compared with their own self-ratings, students rated their friends and the "typical" student as being more in favor of alcohol and more lax in the number of drinks per hour that were acceptable and the number of drinks that were acceptable before driving. They also perceived typical students as more risky than their friends. Dynamic social impact theory was also supported, as students' dormitory building and floor of residence reliably predicted both their personal drinking attitudes and their beliefs about the drinking attitudes of other students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group-based motivational interviewing for alcohol use among college students: An exploratory study.

How can practicing psychologists help reduce excessive alcohol consumption among college students? Over 80% of college students consume alcohol, and a significant percentage drinks excessively with myriad problems. Brief interventions based on motivational interviewing (MI) have been identified for use with college populations. The authors randomly assigned 91 freshman students to a brief, classroom-based MI intervention or an assessment control condition. At the end of the semester, MI group participants reported fewer drinks per occasion and fewer episodes of intoxication compared to controls. A classroom-based, MI-style intervention might be an efficient, sustainable, and effective means of reducing heavy drinking among college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between dietary restraint and patterns of alcohol use in young adult women.

The present study examined relations between dietary restraint and self-reported patterns of alcohol use, including separate assessment of quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption. One hundred seventy-six female university undergraduates completed the Restraint Scale (RS) and measures of their usual quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption over the past year. Quantity and frequency self-reports were scored separately and were also used to calculate 3 additional drinking variables: a composite weekly alcohol consumption score (drinks per week), a binge drinking categorical variable (where participants were classified as either binge drinkers or non-binge drinkers), and a yearly excessive drinking score (number of times in the past year that each participant consumed at least 4 alcoholic beverages per drinking occasion). RS scores were significantly positively correlated with scores on 4 of the 5 drinking behavior measures (i.e., quantity, drinks per week, binge drinking, and yearly excessive drinking, but not frequency). Thus, chronic dieting appears to be related to a relatively heavy drinking pattern that can be characterized as potentially risky, due to its established associations with adverse health and social consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What makes group MET work? A randomized controlled trial of college student drinkers in mandated alcohol diversion.

Nationally, college drinkers exhibit the highest rates of alcohol consumption and represent the largest percentage of problem drinkers. Group motivational enhancement therapy (GMET) has been found to catalyze problem drinking reductions among college student samples. Although research supporting the use of single-session GMET in college samples (general and mandated) is emergent, no studies have evaluated a comprehensive model of the potential active ingredients of this group intervention. College students (N = 206; 88% White; 63% men; M age = 18.6) mandated to a university alcohol diversion program were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: the standard-of-care 2-session “Focus on Alcohol Concerns” education group (FAC), a single GMET, or a single alcohol information-only control group (AI) to evaluate the role of 5 putative mediators: readiness to change, self-efficacy, perceived risk, norm estimates, and positive drinking expectancies. At 3- and 6-month follow-ups, GMET students demonstrated greater reductions in problem drinking outcomes (drinks per drinking day, hazardous drinking symptoms, and alcohol-related problems). Of the 5 mediators proposed, only self-efficacy emerged as a significant mediator. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Targeting Misperceptions of Descriptive Drinking Norms: Efficacy of a Computer-Delivered Personalized Normative Feedback Intervention.

The authors evaluated the efficacy of a computer-delivered personalized normative feedback intervention in reducing alcohol consumption among heavy-drinking college students. Participants included 252 students who were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group following a baseline assessment. Immediately after completing measures of reasons for drinking, perceived norms, and drinking behavior, participants in the intervention condition were provided with computerized information detailing their own drinking behavior, their perceptions of typical student drinking, and actual typical student drinking. Results indicated that normative feedback was effective in changing perceived norms and alcohol consumption at 3- and 6-month follow-up assessments. In addition, the intervention was somewhat more effective at 3-month follow-up among participants who drank more for social reasons. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of drinking protective behavioral strategies in association to sex-related alcohol negative consequences: The mediating role of alcohol consumption.

Alcohol use has been implicated as a risk factor for sexual negative consequences, such as unprotected sexual intercourse. The present research was conducted to examine the relationship between drinking protective behavioral strategies and consensual sex-related alcohol negative consequences, and whether this relationship varied by gender. Additionally, typical number of drinks during sexual behavior was evaluated as a potential mediator of this association. Heavy drinking, sexually active college students (N = 297, 50.2% women) completed self-report measures of drinking protective behavioral strategies, alcohol consumption, and sex-related alcohol negative consequences. Findings indicated that women who used drinking protective behavioral strategies more frequently were less likely to experience sex-related alcohol negative consequences whereas this relationship was not significant for men. For women, this relationship was mediated by the typical number of drinks consumed during sexual behavior. The current research demonstrates that use of drinking protective behavioral strategies is related to a reduction in women's sex-related risks when drinking. Findings are discussed in terms of alcohol myopia theory. Implications for interventions aimed to reduce higher risk sexual behavior among college students are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Binge drinking in Chinese, Korean, and White college students: Genetic and ethnic group differences.

Studies of Asian college students have found that rates of binge drinking are associated with variation in the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) gene. Chinese and Koreans have different prevalence rates of the ALDH2?*?2 allele, alcohol use, and alcoholism. The association of ALDH2 status and ethnic group with binge drinking was examined in 328 Chinese, Korean, and White college students. Ethnic group differences were found, with Whites having the highest rate of binge drinking, followed by Koreans and then Chinese. Among Asian participants, ALDH2 status and ethnicity related to binge drinking in an additive manner. Possessing an ALDH2?*?2 allele and being Chinese were protective factors, and being White and being Korean without an ALDH2?*?2 allele were risk factors for binge drinking. These results suggest that ALDH2 status, as well as other factors that differ in Koreans and Chinese, but do not interact with ALDH2, are associated with binge drinking among Asians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Progression into and out of binge drinking among high school students.

The current study examined binge drinking among high school students over an academic year. Adolescent drinkers (N?=?621; 58% female) were grouped into 4 trajectories: drinkers (35%), increasers (14%), decreasers (16%), and persistent binge drinkers (35%). Prospective analyses indicated several factors that predicted escalation and de-escalation of binge drinking. Increasers were more likely to regularly use alcohol and cigarettes at a younger age than drinkers. Compared with decreasers, persistent binge drinkers reported regular alcohol and marijuana use at younger ages. Lower levels of perceived student drinking appeared to be a protective factor for onset of binge drinking. The results highlight the need to study precursors to the naturally occurring fluctuations in binge drinking and suggest factors that may accentuate the risk of binge drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increased sensitivity to the disinhibiting effects of alcohol in binge drinkers.

Heavy episodic alcohol use, or binge drinking, is a serious public health problem. Binge drinking is endemic in college students and has resulted in numerous alcohol-related tragedies, including acute alcohol poisonings, falls, and automobile collisions. Such negative outcomes might occur because binge drinkers are generally more impulsive, and this impulsivity might be exacerbated under alcohol. The purpose of this study was to examine this hypothesis by comparing the acute effects of alcohol on a cognitive measure of behavioral control in binge and nonbinge drinkers. The results indicated that binge drinkers act more impulsively and report feeling more stimulated under an acute 0.65 g/kg dose of alcohol compared to nonbinge drinkers. The present finding of a heightened disinhibitory reaction to alcohol in binge drinkers may help explain the link between impulsivity and problem drinking at a more fundamental level of behavioral control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Being controlled by normative influences: Self-determination as a moderator of a normative feedback alcohol intervention.

The objectives of this research were to evaluate the efficacy of computer-delivered personalized normative feedback among heavy drinking college students and to evaluate controlled orientation as a moderator of intervention efficacy. Participants (N = 217) included primarily freshman and sophomore, heavy drinking students who were randomly assigned to receive or not to receive personalized normative feedback immediately following baseline assessment. Perceived norms, number of drinks per week, and alcohol-related problems were the main outcome measures. Controlled orientation was specified as a moderator. At 2-month follow-up, students who received normative feedback reported drinking fewer drinks per week than did students who did not receive feedback, and this reduction was mediated by changes in perceived norms. The intervention also reduced alcohol-related negative consequences among students who were higher in controlled orientation. These results provide further support for computer-delivered personalized normative feedback as an empirically supported brief intervention for heavy drinking college students, and they enhance the understanding of why and for whom normative feedback is effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)