Alcohol Drinking
Conditions
Brief summary
Emerging adulthood is a period of heightened vulnerability for problematic alcohol use. Considerable research has been devoted to reducing alcohol risks in college student populations, though far less effort has focused on their noncollege-attending peers. Research targeting nonstudent emerging adults is critical as this group is at risk for experiencing alcohol-related harms. Consequently, the main objective of the present study was to examine the preliminary efficacy of a brief personalized feedback intervention (PFI) tailored for nonstudent at-risk drinkers.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPersonalized Feedback Intervention
The current intervention included personalized feedback regarding their alcohol consumption, alcohol-related consequences, gender-specific normative drinking comparisons, personal risk factors (e.g., dependence symptoms, family history of alcoholism), and alcohol expectancies. The intervention also included didactic material related to alcohol (e.g., effects at different BAC levels, tolerance) and drinking moderation strategies. The feedback was presented graphically in a feedback report with the individual's information.
Sponsors
Old Dominion University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Study eligibility included being 18 to 25 years old, having no prior or current college attendance (e.g., technical/vocational programs, associate's degree programs, or four year college programs), and not being currently enrolled in high school. High school completion was not a required eligibility criteria. They also had to report engaging in a minimum of two heavy drinking episodes (i.e., 4/5+ standard drinks for women/men on one occasion) in the past month
Exclusion criteria
*
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol use quantity | 9 months | Alcohol consumption was assessed using the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ; Collins et al., 1985). Participants reported the number of standard drinks (e.g., 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce wine, or 1.5 ounce liquor) consumed and duration each day during a typical week in the past 3 months. Indices of weekly drinking derived from the DDQ were: total quantity, frequency of drinking days, number of heavy drinking days (days where 4/5+ drinks for women/men were consumed), proportion of heavy drinking days out of total drinking days, maximum number of drinks on the heaviest drinking day, and typical blood alcohol concentration (BAC; see Matthews & Miller, 1979). |
| Alcohol-related harms | 9 months | Alcohol-related problems were measured by the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ; Kahler et al., 2005). The B-YAACQ is a 24-item, yes-no format questionnaire assessing negative drinking-related consequences experienced during the past month. Items were summed to create an overall score (ranging from 0 to 24), with higher scores indicating greater severity. |
Outcome results
None listed