Identifier

etd-08072014-205316

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Alcohol use and alcohol-related problems remain serious public health and safety concerns on United States college campuses. Considerable research has amassed to support the efficacy of the Alcohol Skills Training Program (ASTP), most notably the Brief Assessment and Screening Intervention for College Students, in reducing alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among mandated and voluntary college student drinkers. The most recent outgrowth of the ASTP curriculum, CHOICES About Alcohol: A Brief Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program, is a self-guided, experiential writing process which utilizes Interactive Journaling®. The present study sought to evaluate the efficacy of CHOICES in reducing alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among high-risk college student drinkers. The total sample was comprised of 31 undergraduate college students (80.6% male) mandated by campus officials to complete a brief alcohol intervention due to violation of university policies on alcohol use. Ethnic composition was predominately Caucasian (96.8%), and nearly one-third (29.0%) of the sample indicated current membership in a fraternity or sorority. All students were classified as “high-risk” drinkers, defined as consumption of at least five drinks on at least one occasion during the past month, or endorsement of a minimum of three alcohol-related problem areas occurring on three to five occasions in the past three years. All students were administered a structured clinical interview and completed baseline assessment measures of their current substance use patterns. Eligible students were randomized and subsequently allocated to either: (a) the CHOICES condition (n = 16), or (b) the assessment-only wait-list control condition (n = 15). Students assigned to the CHOICES condition then participated in a single 90-minute individual session. One month after the baseline assessment, students in both conditions completed measures of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Contrary to prediction, students allocated to the CHOICES condition did not fare better than students allocated to the assessment-only wait-list control condition on any of the six primary outcome variables. However, the reduction in peak blood alcohol concentration during a single drinking occasion in the past month was significantly larger for the control condition relative to the CHOICES condition. Given the preliminary nature of the reported findings, additional research is warranted.

Date

2014

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Copeland, Amy

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.3142

Included in

Psychology Commons

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