College alcohol and life skills study with student-athletes

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of a brief intervention designed to reduce high-risk drinking and alcohol-related problems. Volunteer student athletes were randomly assigned to receive a 3-session feedback and skills intervention, a 2-session feedback and skills intervention, or a workbook control. The alcohol and life skills intervention was based on cognitive-behavioral skills training and motivational enhancement strategies. The skills and feedback groups received personal feedback on the quantity and frequency of their alcohol and other drug use, college-drinking norms, alcohol-related consequences, alcohol beliefs, and problem severity in ten domains of health, psychiatric, and psychosocial adjustment. All student athletes completed the Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI-R) and the College Alcohol/Life Skills Project Survey. Analyses of covariance were conducted to determine if differences existed between the three groups on the variables of interest. There were no significant differences between the three groups. Paired t tests were used to measure differences from pretest to posttest for each of the three groups. In the skills group, the estimated drinks per week decreased significantly, with a 60 percent improvement in perceptions of college drinking norms. The skills group also reported a significant decrease in positive alcohol outcome expectancies. In the feedback group, the number of drinks consumed per week at baseline decreased 47 percent. Significant decreases were also found in the feedback and skills groups on the DUSI-R composite and substance use, behavior problems, health status, social competence, work adjustment, peer relations, and leisure/recreation domain scores. The results of this study support the efficacy of brief interventions based on the social learning and cognitive behavioral model of drinking. The brief feedback and skills intervention significantly reduced misperceptions of college drinking norms, improved functioning in the DUSI-R domains linked in the literature with substance abuse, and reduced false alcohol beliefs. The significant findings favored the skills and feedback groups as compared to the control. The non-significant findings of drinking reductions on five drinking measures in the feedback group have important significance for campus alcohol education programs. Results support the use of motivation feedback and life skills strategies to reduce high-risk drinking and alcohol related problems.