Evaluating Change in Drinking Identity as a Mechanism for Reducing Hazardous Drinking - Study 2
- Conditions
- Drinking; Excess, Habit (Continual)Identity, Social
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Narrative Writing
- Registration Number
- NCT03889873
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Washington
- Brief Summary
The purpose of the proposed research is to evaluate whether changes in drinking identity (DI; how much one associates one's self with drinking) can reduce hazardous drinking (HD; heavy alcohol use and negative alcohol-related consequences) among current college students. The study seeks to explore whether manipulating DI among participants will have changes in self-efficacy, craving, and HD. If such an effect can be found, DI may be a mechanism for HD behavior change and will allow researchers to develop and improve interventions aimed at HD behaviors in high-risk young adults.
- Detailed Description
Experimentally manipulate DI to increase self-efficacy, decrease alcohol craving and reduce HD. We will recruit 328 student hazardous drinkers and use an expressive writing task to manipulate their DI, the salience of their social network, and their writing perspective. The last factor is included because writing in a self-distanced (3rd person) vs. self-immersed (1st person) perspective has been linked to greater cognitive control. We will evaluate the manipulation's immediate effects on DI, self-efficacy, and craving. Participants will also complete two weekly follow-up "booster" sessions. Longer-term effects on DI, self-efficacy, craving and HD will be evaluated at additional 2-week, 1-month, and 3-month follow-ups.
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, new subject enrollment was paused between March and September 2020. In light of the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the study team made the decision to move the in-person, lab-based session (where participants completed the writing task) to online sessions as of October 2020. With the move to online sessions, we have discontinued the cue reactivity task and the accompanying craving assessment. Inclusion criteria have shifted slightly -- we now explicitly require participants to be currently living in Washington State (this criterion was implicit in our previous criteria and procedures) . The structure of the study otherwise remains the same.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 329
- Participants must be full-time UW students, fluent in the English language, and recent (past week) drinkers who self-report drinking hazardously (i.e., score an 8 or above on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, AUDIT). Participants must also own a smartphone.
- None.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- FACTORIAL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Drinking; Network; First-person Narrative Writing In this narrative writing task, the participant is asked to imagine him/herself as a low-risk drinker and describe this future self; the prompt instructions include writing about social network (important people, friends, family); participant will write using first-person pronouns. Drinking; No network; Third-person Narrative Writing In this narrative writing task, the participant is asked to imagine him/herself as a low-risk drinker and describe this future self; the prompt does not instruct to write about social network (important people, friends, family); participant will write using third-person pronouns. Smartphone; No network; First-person Narrative Writing In this narrative writing task, the participant is asked to imagine him/herself as someone who has reduced their smartphone usage and describe this future self; the prompt does not instruct to write about social network (important people, friends, family); participant will write using first-person pronouns. Smartphone; No network; Third-person Narrative Writing In this narrative writing task, the participant is asked to imagine him/herself as someone who has reduced their smartphone usage and describe this future self; the prompt does not instruct to write about social network (important people, friends, family); participant will write using third-person pronouns. Drinking; Network; Third-person Narrative Writing In this narrative writing task, the participant is asked to imagine him/herself as a low-risk drinker and describe this future self; the prompt instructions include writing about social network (important people, friends, family); participant will write using third-person pronouns. Drinking; No network; First-person Narrative Writing In this narrative writing task, the participant is asked to imagine him/herself as a low-risk drinker and describe this future self; the prompt does not instruct to write about social network (important people, friends, family); participant will write using first-person pronouns. Smartphone; Network; First-person Narrative Writing In this narrative writing task, the participant is asked to imagine him/herself as someone who has reduced their smartphone usage and describe this future self; the prompt instructions include writing about social network (important people, friends, family); participant will write using first-person pronouns. Smartphone; Network; Third-person Narrative Writing In this narrative writing task, the participant is asked to imagine him/herself as someone who has reduced their smartphone usage and describe this future self; the prompt instructions include writing about social network (important people, friends, family); participant will write using third-person pronouns.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Changes in Implicit Drinking identity will be assessed at lab 1, lab 2, lab 2 (weeks 1-3) & long-term follow up (2-week, 1 month, 3 month); data will be reported through study completion (3 month follow up) drinking identity implicit association test (IAT)
changes in self-efficacy will be assessed at lab 1, lab 2, lab 2 (weeks 1-3) & long-term follow up (2-week, 1 month, 3 month); data will be reported through study completion (3 month follow up) drinking refusal self-efficacy questionnaire
changes in last 3 month alcohol problems Assessed at lab 1 (week1) and 3-month follow up; data will be reported through study completion (3 month follow up) Rutgers Alcohol Problems Inventory (RAPI) will be used to assess alcohol problems; item response options range from 0 to 4; total score ranges from 0 to 100; higher scores = worse outcomes
Changes in Explicit Drinking identity will be assessed at lab 1, lab 2, lab 2 (weeks 1-3) & long-term follow up (2-week, 1 month, 3 month); data will be reported through study completion (3 month follow up) Alcohol Self-concept Scale; item responses range from -3 to +3; average score on all items is calculated; lower scores represent a better outcome
cue-related craving Cue related craving will be assessed following the cue reactivity task, which occurs during the third and final lab-based session (technically, the third week of the study) current craving from cue reactivity task; assessed via alcohol urge questionnaire
changes in past week craving will be assessed at lab 1, lab 2, lab 2 (weeks 1-3) & long-term follow up (2-week, 1 month, 3 month); data will be reported through study completion (3 month follow up) Penn Alcohol Craving Scale; item responses range from 0 to 6; total score on all items is calculated (can range from 0 to 30); lower scores = better outcome
changes in alcohol consumption will be assessed at lab 1, lab 2, lab 2 (weeks 1-3) & long-term follow up (2-week, 1 month, 3 month); data will be reported through study completion (3 month follow up) Modified timeline follow back will assess past daily alcohol consumption (# standard drinks per day); higher consumption = worse outcomes
changes in last two week alcohol problems assessed at lab 2 and 3 (weeks 2 and 3) and at 2 week and 1 month follow up; data will be reported through 1 month follow up adapted from RAPI \& Young Adult Alcohol Problems Screening Test (YAAPST); item responses are 0 (did not happen) or 1 (happened); higher scores (range from 0 to 10) = worse outcomes
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Changes in Readiness to Change Drinking post-writing (lab 1, lab 2, lab 3) long-term follow up (2-week, 1 month, 3 month); data will be reported through study completion (3 month follow up) single item about readiness to change one's drinking (from Rollnick, Mason, \& Butler, 1999); ranges from 0 to 6; higher scores = more readiness to change one's drinking; higher scores = better outcome
changes in future drinking intentions assessed at lab 1, lab 2, lab 3 (weeks 1-3); data will be reported through week 3 adapted from daily drinking questionnaire; assesses how much individuals think they will drink each day of the next week
changes in frequency of heavy & extreme binge drinking assessed at lab 1 (week 1) & frequency of heavy episodic (4/5 or more drinks for women/men on a single occasion) and extreme binge drinking (at least 8/10 drinks or at least 12/15 drinks for women/men on a single occasion); definitions are from the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism
Changes in single-item assessing self-efficacy to limit one's drinking will be assessed at lab 1, lab 2, lab 2 (weeks 1-3) & long-term follow up (2-week, 1 month, 3 month); data will be reported through study completion (3 month follow up) Item developed by Cervone \& Shadel; item ranges from 0 to10; higher scores = greater self-efficacy to limit one's drinking; higher scores = better outcome
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
University of Washington
🇺🇸Seattle, Washington, United States