The utility of a brief web-based prevention intervention as a universal approach for risky alcohol use in college students: Evidence of moderation by family history

Zoe E. Neale*, Jessica E. Salvatore, Megan E. Cooke, Jeanne E. Savage, Fazil Aliev, Kristen K. Donovan, Linda C. Hancock, Danielle M. Dick

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background: Alcohol use on college campuses is prevalent and contributes to problems that affect the health, emotional wellbeing, and academic success of college students. Risk factors, such as family history of alcohol problems, predict future alcohol problems, but less is known about their potential impact on intervention effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an intervention implemented in a non-randomized sample of drinking and non-drinking college freshmen. Methods: Freshmen college students recruited for the intervention study (n = 153) completed a web-adaptation of the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) at the start of spring semester. We compared their 30-days post-intervention alcohol initiation, number of drinking days (DAYS), drinks per occasion (DRINKS), maximum drinks in 24 h (MAX24) and alcohol use disorder symptoms (AUDsx) to 151 comparison participants retrospectively matched on demographics and baseline alcohol use behaviors. We also tested baseline DRINKS, DAYS, AUDsx, MAX24, and parental family history (PFH) of alcohol problems as moderators of the effect of the intervention. Results: At follow-up, intervention participants had lower rates of AUDsx than comparison participants, especially among baseline drinkers. Among participants drinking 3+ days/month at baseline, intervention participants showed fewer DAYS at follow-up than the comparison group participants. BASICS was also associated with a decreased likelihood of initiation among baseline non-drinkers. PFH significantly interacted with treatment group, with positive PFH intervention participants reporting significantly fewer AUDsx at follow-up compared to positive PFH comparison participants. We found no evidence for an effect of the intervention on DRINKS or MAX24 in our analyses. Conclusions: Results suggest some indication that novel groups, such as non-drinkers, regular drinkers, and PFH positive students may experience benefits from BASICS. Although conclusions were limited by lack of randomization and short follow-up period, PFH positive and low to moderate drinking groups represent viable targets for future randomized studies.

Original languageEnglish
Article number747
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalFrontiers in Psychology
Volume9
Issue numberMAY
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 May 2018

Funding

Many thanks to the VCU students for making this study a success, as well as the many VCU faculty, students, and staffwho contributed to the design and implementation of the Spit for Science project. Portions of this manuscript were completed as part of the the first author's master's thesis requirement (Neale, 2016).This work was supported by the Virginia Commonwealth University, through a Quest Innovation Fund awarded to DD. Spit for Science: The VCU Student Survey has been supported by Virginia Commonwealth University, P20 AA107828, R37AA011408, K02AA018755, and P50 AA022537 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and UL1RR031990 from the National Center for Research Resources and National Institutes of Health Roadmap for Medical Research. JesS was supported by K01AA024152, MC was supported by F31AA024380, and JeaS was support by F31AA024378.

FundersFunder number
Quest Innovation FundP20 AA107828, K02AA018755, R37AA011408, P50 AA022537
National Institutes of Health
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and AlcoholismUL1RR031990
National Center for Research ResourcesF31AA024378, K01AA024152, F31AA024380
Virginia Commonwealth University

    Keywords

    • Alcohol
    • BASICS
    • College students
    • Family history
    • Prevention

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