Improving Brief Alcohol Interventions With a Behavioral Economic Supplement

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Alcohol Abuse
• Interventions: Behavioral: Brief Motivational Intervention (BMI); Behavioral: Relaxation Session; Behavioral: Substance-Free Activity Session (SFAS)

• Registration Number: NCT02834949
• Lead Sponsor: University of Memphis

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a Substance-Free Activity Session (SFAS) as a supplement to a brief motivation intervention (BMI) in reducing alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences in college students.

Detailed Description

BMIs are associated with reductions in alcohol consumption and related problems, but effect sizes are generally small. One BMI trial indicated that behavioral economic variables such as low levels of proportionate substance-free reinforcement and inelastic demand for alcohol predicted poor intervention response, and that participants who successfully reduced their drinking increased their participation in academic and other substance-free activities. A subsequent NIAAA R21 developed a substance-free activity session (SFAS) supplement to traditional alcohol BMIs that attempted to increase engagement in constructive alternatives to drinking by enhancing the salience of delayed rewards (academic and career success) and the patterns of behavior (academic engagement) leading to these outcomes. This study indicated that a two session (alcohol BMI + SFAS) preventive intervention resulted in significantly greater reductions in alcohol problems relative to a two session (alcohol BMI + Relaxation) active control condition. The BMI+ SFAS was also associated with significantly greater reductions in heavy drinking for participants with lower levels of substance-free reinforcement at baseline. This was the first controlled study to demonstrate that a supplement to traditional BMIs can improve outcomes. The current study will extend these promising pilot results by (a) increasing the efficacy of the behavioral economic SFAS by including booster contact, (b) increasing power and generalizability by recruiting 425 students from two universities and including a no-treatment control group, (c) measuring drinking, as well as behavioral economic mechanisms as mediators and moderators of intervention outcomes (delay discounting, alcohol reinforcing efficacy, substance-free reinforcement) at 5 time points over a sixteen month period, and (d) evaluating the economic costs and benefits associated with the SFAS. The goals of the SFAS - increasing student engagement in academic, campus, and career-related activities- are consistent with the priorities of most colleges.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-07
• Study First Submitted: 2016-07-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-07-12
• Study First Posted: 2016-07-15
• Primary Completion: 2017-08
• Study Completion: 2017-08
• Status Verified: 2017-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2017-10-24
• Last Update Posted: 2017-10-26

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 393

Inclusion Criteria

• Male and female University of Memphis and University of Missouri
• College freshman or sophomore
• Full time student status
• Report 2 or more heavy drinking episodes (5/4 drinks for men/women) in the past month

Exclusion Criteria

• Employed more than 20 hours per week

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
BMI + Relaxation Session	Relaxation Session	Participants first receive a 50-minute standard brief motivational intervention designed to reduce alcohol use. A week later, they will receive a relaxation training session. In the relaxation training session, the clinician leads the student through a diaphragmatic breathing exercise, followed by a progressive muscle relaxation protocol (\~30 minutes). At the end of the session, participants will be asked about their reaction to the relaxation techniques and provided with relaxation training handouts.
BMI + SFAS	Brief Motivational Intervention (BMI)	Participants first receive a 50-minute standard brief motivational intervention designed to reduce alcohol use. A week later, they will receive the SFAS (Substance-free Activity Session., a 50-minute counseling session designed to increase the salience of the student's academic and career goals, draw attention to the potentially negative relationship between substance use and goal accomplishment, and increase engagement in substance-free alternative activities. The SFAS will be described to participants as the "College Adjustment Session" and the session will be conducted using an MI plus personalized feedback approach.
BMI + SFAS	Substance-Free Activity Session (SFAS)	Participants first receive a 50-minute standard brief motivational intervention designed to reduce alcohol use. A week later, they will receive the SFAS (Substance-free Activity Session., a 50-minute counseling session designed to increase the salience of the student's academic and career goals, draw attention to the potentially negative relationship between substance use and goal accomplishment, and increase engagement in substance-free alternative activities. The SFAS will be described to participants as the "College Adjustment Session" and the session will be conducted using an MI plus personalized feedback approach.
BMI + Relaxation Session	Brief Motivational Intervention (BMI)	Participants first receive a 50-minute standard brief motivational intervention designed to reduce alcohol use. A week later, they will receive a relaxation training session. In the relaxation training session, the clinician leads the student through a diaphragmatic breathing exercise, followed by a progressive muscle relaxation protocol (\~30 minutes). At the end of the session, participants will be asked about their reaction to the relaxation techniques and provided with relaxation training handouts.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Alcohol-related Problems from baseline to follow-up (4 timepoints)	Baseline, 1-month, 6-months, 12-months and 16-months	Self-reported alcohol-related consequences
Change in Alcohol Use from baseline to follow-up (4 timepoints)	Baseline, 1-month, 6-months, 12-months and 16-months	Self-reported drinks consumed in a typical week

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University of Missouri; 🇺🇸 Columbia, Missouri, United States

University of Memphis; 🇺🇸 Memphis, Tennessee, United States