The Role of Agency and Threat-Immediacy in Interactive Digital Narrative Fear Appeals for the Prevention of Excessive Alcohol Use: Randomized Controlled Trial
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 178
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Behavioural intention
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Aims:
The first aim of the study was to assess the effect of agency, i.e. the perception of making meaningful decisions, in an interactive digital narrative fear appeal on self-efficacy beliefs concerning the ability to reduce alcohol intake among college students. Second, we assessed whether the communicated timeframe (short-term / long-term) of the threat presented in the narrative moderates the effect of agency on self-efficacy. Lastly, to validate the effect of the intervention on behavioural outcomes we assesed whether self-efficacy has an effect on behavioural intention measures.
The study was a 2 (agency: low / high) x 2 (time-frame: immediate / distant) between-subjects online experiment.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Prevention
- Masking
- Single (Participant)
Masking Description
Participants were not aware which arm of the study they were enrolled in.
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •above 18 years of age
- •480 seconds survey completion time
- •both attention checks relating to narrative content passed
- •correctly identified their experimental condition in the manipulation check
- •did not choose to 'drink an alcoholic drink' for all decisions in the interactive narrative
- •did not show signs of alcohol abuse
Exclusion Criteria
- •under the age of 18
- •completed the questionnaire in an unreasonably short amount of time
- •they failed one of the two attention checks
- •failed the manipulation check asking them to recall whether they were presented with short- or long-term (high / low immediacy) consequences of excessive drinking
- •chose an alcoholic drink for all decision points
- •showed signs of alcohol dependence as measured above 15 on the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Behavioural intention
Time Frame: During the lab session
Four items answered on 7-point Likert scales (ranging from 'Strongly Disagree' to 'Strongly Agree'): 1. I intend to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts. 2. I intend to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts on special occasions. 3. I intend to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts when being with friends. 4. I intend to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts when I am by myself.
Perceived self-efficacy
Time Frame: During the lab session
Three items answered on 7-point Likert scales (ranging from 'Strongly Disagree' to 'Strongly Agree'): 1. I am able to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts. 2. It is easy for me to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts. 3. I can limit my alcohol intake to low amounts.
Secondary Outcomes
No secondary outcomes reported
Investigators
Hendrik Engelbrecht
Principal Investigator
Tilburg University