Clinical trial NCT02834949: Improving Brief Alcohol Interventions With a Behavioral Economic Supplement
Official title: Improving Brief Alcohol Interventions With a Behavioral Economic Supplement
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Alcohol Abuse
Lead sponsor: University of Memphis
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2016-07-15
Enrollment: 393
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 27
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

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.

Eligibility criteria: 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Alcohol Use from baseline to follow-up (4 timepoints)
timeFrame: Baseline, 1-month, 6-months, 12-months and 16-months
measure: Change in Alcohol-related Problems from baseline to follow-up (4 timepoints)
timeFrame: Baseline, 1-month, 6-months, 12-months and 16-months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Columbia
country: United States
facility: University of Missouri
state: Missouri
city: Memphis
country: United States
facility: University of Memphis
state: Tennessee
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Memphis
name: James G Murphy, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: