Disorders - Alcohol Use
Fachini, A., Aliane, P. P., Martinez, E. Z., Furtado, E. F.
Many studies reported that brief interventions are effective in reducing excessive drinking. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a protocol of brief intervention for college students (BASICS), delivered face-to-face, to reduce risky alcohol consumption and negative consequences. A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed by searching for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases. A quality assessment of RCTs was made by using a validated scale. Combined mean effect sizes, using meta-analysis random-effects models, were calculated. 18 studies were included in the review. The sample sizes ranged from 54 to 1275 (median=212). All studies presented a good evaluation of methodological quality and four were found to have excellent quality. After approximately 12 months of follow-up, students receiving BASICS showed a significant reduction in alcohol consumption (difference between means=-1.50 drinks per week, 95% CI: -3.24 to -0.29) and alcohol-related problems (difference between means=-0.87, 95% CI: -1.58 to -0.20) compared to controls. Overall, BASICS lowered both alcohol consumption and negative consequences in college students. Gender and peer factors seem to play an important role as moderators of behavior change in college drinking. Characteristics of BASICS procedure have been evaluated as more favorable and acceptable by students in comparison with others interventions or control conditions. Considerations for future researches were discussed.
Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, & Policy, 7 : 40
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Motivational interviewing, includes Motivational Enhancing Therapy, Personalised feedback, normative feedback
Gmel, Gerhard, Venzin, Vigeli, Marmet, Katrin, Danko, George, Labhart, Florian
Objectives: To show the effectiveness of a brief group alcohol intervention. Aims of the intervention were to reduce the frequency of heavy drinking occasions, maximum number of drinks on an occasion and overall weekly consumption.; Methods: A cluster quasi-randomized control trial (intervention n = 338; control n = 330) among 16- to 18-year-old secondary school students in the Swiss Canton of Zürich. Groups homogeneous for heavy drinking occasions (5+/4+ drinks for men/women) consisted of those having medium risk (3-4) or high risk (5+) occasions in the past 30 days. Groups of 8-10 individuals received two 45-min sessions based on motivational interviewing techniques.; Results: Borderline significant beneficial effects (p < 0.10) on heavy drinking occasions and alcohol volume were found 6 months later for the medium-risk group only, but not for the high-risk group. None of the effects remained significant after Bonferroni corrections.; Conclusions: Group intervention was ineffective for all at-risk users. The heaviest drinkers may need more intensive treatment. Alternative explanations were iatrogenic effects among the heaviest drinkers, assessment reactivity, or reduction of social desirability bias at follow-up through peer feedback.;
International Journal of Public Health, 57(6) : 935-944
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Motivational interviewing, includes Motivational Enhancing Therapy
Harris, S. K., Csemy, L., Sherritt, L., Starostova, O., Van Hook, S, Johnson, J., Boulter, S., et-al
OBJECTIVE: Primary care providers need effective strategies for substance use screening and brief counseling of adolescents. We examined the effects of a new computer-facilitated screening and provider brief advice (cSBA) system. METHODS: We used a quasi-experimental, asynchronous study design in which each site served as its own control. From 2005 to 2008, 12- to 18- year-olds arriving for routine care at 9 medical offices in New England (n = 2096, 58% females) and 10 in Prague, Czech Republic (n = 589, 47% females) were recruited. Patients completed measurements only during the initial treatment-as-usual study phase. We then conducted 1-hour provider training, and initiated the cSBA phase. Before seeing the provider, all cSBA participants completed a computerized screen, and then viewed screening results, scientific information, and true-life stories illustrating substance use harms. Providers received screening results and "talking points" designed to prompt 2 to 3 minutes of brief advice. We examined alcohol and cannabis use, initiation, and cessation rates over the past 90 days at 3-month follow-up, and over the past 12 months at 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: Compared with treatment as usual, cSBA patients reported less alcohol use at follow-up in New England (3-month rates 15.5% vs 22.9%, adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] = 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.38-0.77; 12-month rates 29.3% vs 37.5%, aRRR = 0.73, 0.57-0.92), and less cannabis use in Prague (3-month rates 5.5% vs 9.8%, aRRR = 0.37, 0.17-0.77; 12-month rates 17.0% vs 28.7%, aRRR = 0.47, 0.32-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Computer-facilitated screening and provider brief advice appears promising for reducing substance use among adolescent primary care patients. Copyright (copyright) 2012 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Pediatrics, 129(6) : 1072-1082
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Hester, Reid K., Delaney, Harold D., Campbell, William
The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-delivered intervention (CDI) to reduce heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems in college students in two randomized clinical trials. In Experiment 1, we randomized 144 students to either the CDI or an assessment-only control group with follow-ups at 1 and 12 months. In Experiment 2, we randomized 82 students to either the CDI or a delayed-assessment control group with follow-up at 1 month. In Experiment 1, participants in both groups significantly reduced their drinking at both follow-ups. Compared to the control group, the CDI group reduced their drinking significantly more at 1 and 12 months on three drinking measures at α < .05. Using a more conservative, Bonferroni-adjusted criterion yielded one significant difference in a measure of heavier drinking at the 1 month follow-up. The mean between-groups effect sizes were d = .34 and .36 at 1 and 12 months, respectively. Experiment 2. Compared to the delayed assessment control group, the CDI group significantly reduced (by the Bonferroni-adjusted criterion) their drinking on all consumption measures. These results support the effectiveness of the CDI with heavy drinking college students when used in a clinical setting. In addition, the significant reductions in typical drinking in the control group in Experiment 1 and not in Experiment 2 combined with comparable baseline characteristics suggests that the control group in Experiment 1 demonstrated assessment reactivity.; PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 26(1) : 1-12
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Motivational interviewing, includes Motivational Enhancing Therapy, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Hagger, Martin S., Lonsdale, Adam, Chatzisarantis, Nikos L. D.
Objectives: Undergraduate students frequently exceed guideline limits for alcohol intake in a single session and are highly susceptible to associated health, social, and economic problems. Psychological theory suggests that interventions aimed at reducing alcohol consumption should target both motivational and volitional phases of action to be effective. This study reports an integrated theory-based intervention aimed at reducing undergraduates' alcohol consumption in excess of guideline limits.; Design: The study adopted a 2 (motivation: mental simulation vs. no mental simulation) × 2 (volitional: implementation intention vs. no implementation intention) randomized controlled design presented in an online format.; Methods: Undergraduate students (N= 238; females, n= 133, M age = 20.11, SD= 2.09; males, n= 105, M age = 20.38, SD= 1.35) completed baseline psychological measures and self-reported alcohol consumption as units consumed and heavy episodic drinking occasions followed by the intervention manipulation (if any). One month later participants completed follow-up measures of the psychological variables and alcohol consumption.; Results: Significant reductions in alcohol consumption were observed at follow-up. Participants receiving a mental simulation intervention reported significantly fewer units of alcohol consumed and heavy episodic drinking occasions. Among participants with high baseline alcohol consumption, participants in the combined mental simulation and implementation intention intervention group consumed significantly fewer units than other groups.; Conclusion: Results support the use of these theory-based strategies to reduce alcohol drinking in excess of guideline limits among undergraduates. There was preliminary support for the interaction between the two strategies among heavier drinkers. Targeting both motivational and implemental phases of action poses a high probability for success in changing alcohol-related behaviour in this population.; ©2011 The British Psychological Society.
British journal of health psychology, 17(1) : 18-43
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Hagger, M. S., Lonsdale, A., Koka, A., Hein, V., Pasi, H., Lintunen, T., Chatzisarantis, N. L.
Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to deleterious health consequences among undergraduate students. There is a need to develop theory-based and cost-effective brief interventions to attenuate alcohol consumption in this population. The present study tested the effectiveness of an integrated theory-based intervention in reducing undergraduates' alcohol consumption in excess of guideline limits in national samples from Estonia, Finland, and the UK. A 2 (volitional: implementation intention vs. no implementation intention) null 2 (motivation: mental simulation vs. no mental simulation) null 3 (nationality: Estonia vs. Finland vs. UK) randomized-controlled design was adopted. Participants completed baseline psychological measures and self-reported number of alcohol units consumed and binge-drinking frequency followed by the intervention manipulation. One month later, participants completed follow-up measures of the psychological variables and alcohol consumption. Results revealed main effects for implementation intention and nationality on units of alcohol consumed at follow-up and an implementation intention null nationality interaction. Alcohol consumption was significantly reduced in the implementation intention condition for the Estonian and UK samples. There was a significant main effect for nationality and an implementation intention null nationality interaction on binge-drinking frequency. Follow-up tests revealed significant reductions in binge-drinking occasions in the implementation intention group for the UK sample only. Results support the implementation intention component of the intervention in reducing alcohol drinking in excess of guideline limits among Estonian and UK undergraduates. There was no support for the motivational intervention or the interaction between the strategies. Results are discussed with respect to intervention design based on motivational and volitional approaches.
International journal of behavioral medicine, 19(1) : 82-96
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
King, A., McNamara, P., Palmeri, M., Trela, C.
Alcohol acutely increases smoking urge and behavior, and young adult hazardous drinkers have high rates of smoking co-use, often with little motivation to change. While brief interventions have been developed for at-risk college drinkers, there is little research on postcollege heavy drinkers who are co-users of alcohol and tobacco. Further, novel translational approaches are needed to improve brief intervention outcomes and target those most likely to respond. Thus, we conducted a pilot study in fifteen heavy-drinking nondependent smokers (8 men) in order to establish feasibility of combining laboratory alcohol challenge and brief intervention modalities. Participants attended a single-blinded beverage administration session (0.8g/kg alcohol) and then were randomized to attend two feedback sessions of either a brief alcohol-smoking feedback intervention (BASFI) or an attention control intervention (ACI). BASFI was recently developed by our group and included information on participants' drinking and smoking compared to age-relevant norms, personal feedback on alcohol response, and goal-setting to reduce alcohol harm, if appropriate. ACI was similar in format but focused on nutrition and healthy eating. The sample's average age was 24.2 (plus or minus)2.6 SD yrs with an average AUDIT score of 14.8 (plus or minus)3.9, 9.8 (plus or minus)4.5 heavy drinking days, 23.8 (plus or minus)5.5 cigarette smoking days, and 15.3 (plus or minus)5.6 co-use days in the past month. Stage of change assessment revealed more interest in changing smoking than drinking (57% vs. 14% action stage). Feasibility was established with 93% of enrollees attending all study visits with 100% retention for one-month follow-up. As expected, alcohol increased positive-like subjective effects (stimulation, liking, wanting) and smoking urge. Follow-up TLFB results revealed that BASFI produced more behavior change than ACI, with reductions in drinks per drinking day (29% BASFI vs. +5% ACI), heavy drinking days (-53% vs. -25%, respectively), smoking days (-37% vs. +3%) and co-use days (-54% vs. -8%). Effect sizes (Cohen's d) ranged from 0.48 to 1.32 (>medium effect). Moreover, greater positive-like alcohol effects in the lab predicted larger drinking reductions in BASFI (rs=+.29-.66). In sum, results of this pilot study were promising: while larger studies are needed, young adult hazardous drinkers may be particularly responsive to targeted interventions using personalized alcohol challenge feedback to motivate change.
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 36 : 220A
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Personalised feedback, normative feedback
Kleinjan, M., Strick, M., Lemmers, L., Engels, R. C. M. E.
Aims: To examine the use of a cue-reminder to target alcohol use among youth in social contexts. Methods: Two experiments were conducted. First, among 92 late adolescents, we tested if a cue-reminder could be effectively associated with information about empowerment, awareness and monitoring of one's own limits with regard to alcohol use. Second, among 107 young adults, the effect of the cue in a real-life drinking setting was examined. Results: The first study showed that adolescents in the experimental condition recalled more empowerment information compared with adolescents in the control condition (mean 2.00 (plus or minus) 0.92 vs mean 1.52 (plus or minus) 0.96, P = 0.017), indicating the possibility of creating an association between a symbol (cue-reminder) and empowerment information with regard to alcohol use. In the second study, significant interaction effects between general drinking frequency and condition were found in relation to having an alcoholic consumption ((beta) = -0.24; P = 0.027) and to the amount of alcoholic consumptions ((beta) = -0.24; P = 0.035), suggesting that the presence of the cue-reminder in a drinking situation may have an inhibitory effect on alcohol consumption among frequent drinkers. Conclusion: The cue-reminder seems to have the potential to function as an intervention to reduce excessive alcohol use in social settings. (copyright) The Author 2012. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Alcohol & Alcoholism, 47(4) : 451-457
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Koning, Ina M., Verdurmen, Jacqueline E. E., Engels, Rutger C. M. E., van den Eijnden, Regina J. J. M., Vollebergh, Wilma A. M.
To test whether baseline levels of the factors accountable for the impact of the Prevention of Alcohol use in Students (PAS) intervention (self-control, perceived rules about alcohol and parental attitudes about alcohol), moderate the effect of the intervention. A cluster randomized trial including 3,490 Dutch early adolescents (M age = 12.66, SD = 0.49) and their parents randomized over four conditions: 1) parent intervention, 2) student intervention, 3) combined intervention and 4) control group. Moderators at baseline were used to examine the differential effects of the interventions on onset of (heavy) weekly drinking at 34- month follow-up. The combined intervention was only effective in preventing weekly drinking among those adolescents who reported to have lower self-control and more lenient parents at baseline. No differential effect was found for the onset of heavy weekly drinking. No moderating roles of self-control and lenient parenting were found for the separate student and parent interventions regarding the onset of drinking. The combined intervention is more effective among adolescents with low-self control and lenient parents at baseline, both factors that were a specific target of the intervention. The relevance of targeting self-control in adolescents and restrictive parenting is underlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Prevention Science, 13(3) : 278-287
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
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Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Wagener, Theodore L., Leffingwell, Thad R., Mignogna, Joe, Mignogna, Melissa R., Weaver, Cameron C., Cooney, Nathaniel J., Claborn, Kasey R.
This study evaluated the efficacy of two brief personalized feedback interventions (PFIs) using identical feedback and motivational interviewing strategies aimed at reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems to two control conditions among a sample of high-risk drinking college students. Students (N = 152) were randomly assigned to a computer-delivered PFI with a video interviewer, a face-to-face PFI with a live interviewer, a comprehensive assessment condition, or a minimal assessment-only condition. At 10 weeks posttreatment, the face-to-face PFI significantly reduced weekly drinking quantity and peak and typical blood alcohol concentration compared with the comprehensive assessment and minimal assessment-only conditions (d values ranged from 0.32 to 0.61). No significant between-group differences were evidenced for the computer-delivered PFI condition, although effect sizes were comparable to other college drinking studies using computer-delivered interventions (d values ranged from 0.20 to 0.27). Results provide further support for the use of a face-to-face PFI to help reduce college students' alcohol consumption and suggest that a video interviewer in the context of a computer-delivered PFI is likely a helpful but not necessarily a complete substitute for a live interviewer. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 43(2) : 260-267
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Personalised feedback, normative feedback
, Technology, comparing delivery mode (e.g. online vs. face-to-face)
Wolfson, M., Champion, H., McCoy, T. P., Rhodes, S. D., Ip, E. H., Blocker, J. N., Martin, B. A., et-al
Background: High-risk drinking by college students continues to pose a significant threat to public health. Despite increasing evidence of the contribution of community-level and campus-level environmental factors to high-risk drinking, there have been few rigorous tests of interventions that focus on changing these interlinked environments. The Study to Prevent Alcohol Related Consequences (SPARC) assessed the efficacy of a comprehensive intervention using a community organizing approach to implement environmental strategies in and around college campuses. The goal of SPARC was to reduce high-risk drinking and alcohol-related consequences among college students. Methods: Ten universities in North Carolina were randomized to an Intervention or Comparison condition. Each Intervention school was assigned a campus/community organizer. The organizer worked to form a campus-community coalition, which developed and implemented a strategic plan to use environmental strategies to reduce high-risk drinking and its consequences. The intervention was implemented over a period of 3 years. Primary outcome measures were assessed using a web-based survey of students. Measures of high-risk drinking included number of days alcohol was consumed, number of days of binge drinking, and greatest number of drinks consumed (all in the past 30 days); and number of days one gets drunk in a typical week. Measures of alcohol-related consequences included indices of moderate consequences due to one's own drinking, severe consequences due to one's own drinking, interpersonal consequences due to others' drinking, and community consequences due to others' drinking (all using a past 30-day time frame). Measure of alcohol-related injuries included (i) experiencing alcohol-related injuries and (ii) alcohol-related injuries caused to others. Results: We found significant decreases in the Intervention group compared with the Comparison group in severe consequences due to students' own drinking and alcohol-related injuries caused to others. In secondary analyses, higher levels of implementation of the intervention were associated with reductions in interpersonal consequences due to others' drinking and alcohol-related injuries caused to others. Conclusions: A community organizing approach promoting implementation of environmental interventions can significantly affect high-risk drinking and its consequences among college students. (copyright) 2012 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 36(10) : 1767-1778
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions, Other service delivery and improvement interventions
Teesson, Maree, Newton, Nicola C., Barrett, Emma L.
Issues: To reduce the occurrence and costs related to substance use and associated harms it is important to intervene early. Although a number of international school-based prevention programs exist, the majority show minimal effects in reducing drug use and related harms. Given the emphasis on early intervention and prevention in Australia, it is timely to review the programs currently trialled in Australian schools. This paper reports the type and efficacy of Australian school-based prevention programs for alcohol and other drugs.; Approach: Cochrane, PsychInfo and PubMed databases were searched. Additional materials were obtained from authors, websites and reference lists. Studies were selected if they described programs developed and trialled in Australia that address prevention of alcohol and other drug use in schools.; Key Findings: Eight trials of seven intervention programs were identified. The programs targeted alcohol, cannabis and tobacco and most were based on social learning principles. All were universal. Five of the seven intervention programs achieved reductions in alcohol, cannabis and tobacco use at follow up.; Conclusion: Existing school-based prevention programs have shown to be efficacious in the Australian context. However, there are only a few programs available, and these require further evaluative research. This is critical, given that substance use is such a significant public health problem. The findings challenge the commonly held view that school-based prevention programs are not effective.; © 2012 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.
Drug & Alcohol Review, 31(6) : 731-736
- Year: 2012
- Problem: Substance Use Disorders (any), Alcohol Use, Cannabis Use
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions