Brief Academic Future Thinking Intervention for College Student Drinkers

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Heavy Drinking
• Interventions: Behavioral: Academic Episodic Future Thinking; Other: Vivid Memory Task

• Registration Number: NCT04275739
• Lead Sponsor: University of Memphis

Brief Summary

The present study investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and initial utility of a brief academic goal-relevant episodic future thinking (A-EFT) task among heavy college drinkers.

First, the study attempts to extend the temporal reach of EFT interventions which have demonstrated immediate reductions in discounting, and alcohol demand. The current study utilized a longitudinal design to evaluate whether EFT can change drinking behavior outside the lab in heavy drinking college students. The two-group experimental design included an active control group, weekly booster contact, and 1-month follow-up. Second, this study seeks to investigate whether the process of engaging in EFT is sufficient to produce effects when cues are not presented during the decision-making task. Lastly, this study adds an academic goal-related focus to the EFT task based on previous research indicating that forming meaningful academic goals is protective against drinking and associated problems.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-01-20
• Primary Completion: 2019-08-30
• Study Completion: 2019-08-30
• Status Verified: 2020-02
• Study First Submitted: 2020-02-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-02-17
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-02-17
• Study First Posted: 2020-02-19
• Last Update Posted: 2020-02-19

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 45

Inclusion Criteria

• Full-time Freshman/Sophomore Student
• 2+ Recent heavy drinking episodes (4/5 standard drinks in one sitting for men/women)

Exclusion Criteria

• Current or past substance abuse treatment
• Current moderate/severe depressive symptoms

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Experimental: Episodic Future Thinking	Academic Episodic Future Thinking	-
Control: Vivid Memory Task	Vivid Memory Task	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Daily Drinking Questionnaire	1-month post	Indicate how many standard drinks were consumed on each day of a "typical week" in the past month
Alcohol Demand	1-month post	Alcohol Purchase Task - Indicate hypothetical alcohol purchase behavior at a variety of price points
Delayed Reward Discounting	1-month post	5-Choice Minute Discounting task - Indicate preference for various choices of immediate small vs. larger delayed rewards
Alcohol-Related Consequences	1-month post	Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire - Indicate "yes" or "no" to experiencing each alcohol-related consequences in the past month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Protective Behavioral Strategies	1-month post	Indicate frequency of use of each protective strategy on a 1-6 Likert-type scale (1 = Never, 6 = Always)
Academic Engagement	1-month post	Single item assessing time spent studying during the past week

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

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