Prevention Programs That Teach Skills Most Effective

A Swedish study has found that intervention programs for college students that include basic skills training are the most effective with students who are in the highest risk group of drinkers. In a study of 556 students, those with higher Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores benefited most from skills training, researchers found.

"Almost all universities have alcohol policies, and interventions greatly differ from one university to another," said Henrietta Stahlbrandt, a physician in the department of clinical alcohol research at Lund University. "The skills-training program used in our study is... based on cognitive-skill intervention and motivational techniques. Personalized drinking feedback has also been found effective."

The basic skills program used in the study was derived from the University of Washington's Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students. A second group in the study participated in a 12-step influenced program, while a control group participated in no intervention.

All of the students were given the AUDIT test at the beginning of the study and then again annually for three years. The high-risk students in the basic skills training group saw the largest reduction in AUDIT scores.

All Groups' Scores Decreased

But all three groups, including the control group that received no intervention, significantly reduced their AUDIT scores from baseline assessment to the two-year follow-up questionnaire.

"Maturity could very well be a factor," said Stahlbrandt in a news release. "It is well-known that on average, university students decrease their alcohol consumption as they grow older and eventually leave college. Yet another factor could be that inclusion in the study made all of the students more aware of their alcohol consumption and so they subconsciously drank less."

"The at-risk students – those with a higher AUDIT score and in greater danger of having negative consequences from alcohol consumption – in the brief skills-training program reduced their consumption more than the other two groups," said Stahlbrandt. "By concentrating alcohol-intervention efforts on this group, a lot of benefits can be attained on both individual and public levels, meaning less of an economic burden and wasted personal time."

More Information:

• Alcohol Interventions That Teach Practical Skills Work Best With High-Risk University Students
  
• College Drinking, Drug Use Grows More Extreme
  
• Drinking Risky for College Women

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