Skills training, alcohol plus general life skills or general life skills only: Generic/other
These programs combine training in skills aimed at reducing alcohol use (e.g., drink refusal and moderation of alcohol use) with training in general life skills (e.g., stress management, coping, and lifestyle balance), or they provide training only in general life skills as a means of reducing alcohol use.
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Effectiveness: = Moderate effectiveness
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Cost: $$ = Mid-range
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Research Amount: **** = 11+ studies
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Public Health Reach: Focused
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Primary Modality: In-person group
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Staffing Expertise Needed: Health professional and coordinator
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Target Population: Individuals, specific groups
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Duration of Effects: Mixed short-term (< 6 months) effects; long-term (≥ 6 months) effects
Effectiveness ratings are based on the percentage of studies reporting any positive outcomes. Strategies with three or fewer studies did not receive an effectiveness rating due to the limited data on which to base a conclusion. Cost ratings are based on the relative program and staff costs for adoption, implementation, and maintenance of a strategy. Actual costs will vary by institution, depending on size, existing programs, and other campus and community factors. Barriers to implementing a strategy include cost and opposition, among other factors. Public health reach refers to the number of students that a strategy affects. Strategies with a broad reach affect all students or a large group of students (e.g., all underage students); strategies with a focused reach affect individuals or small groups of students (e.g., sanctioned students). Research amount/quality refers to the number of randomized controlled trials (RCT) that evaluated the strategy. Duration of effects refers to the timeframe within which the intervention demonstrated effects on alcohol-related behavioral outcomes; follow-up periods for short-term effects were <6 months; follow-up periods for long-term effects were ≥6 months.
Strategies are listed by brand name if they were evaluated by at least two RCTs; strategies labeled generic/other have similar components and were not identified by name in the research or were evaluated by only one RCT; strategies labeled miscellaneous have the same approach but very different components.
Larimer, M.E.; and Cronce, J.M. Identification, prevention and treatment: A review of individual-focused strategies to reduce problematic alcohol consumption by college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol (Suppl. 14):148–63, 2002.
- Ametrano, I.M. An evaluation of the effectiveness of a substance-abuse prevention program. Journal of College Student Development 33(6):507–15, 1992.
- Garvin, R.B.; Alcorn, J.D.; and Faulkner, K.K. Behavioral strategies for alcohol abuse prevention with high-risk college males. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education 36(1): 23–34, 1990.
- Jack, L.W. The educational impact of a course about addiction. Journal of Nursing Education 28(1):22–8, 1989.
- Marcello, R.J.; Danish, S.J.; and Stolberg, A.L. An evaluation of strategies developed to prevent substance abuse among student-athletes. The Sports Psychologist 3(3)196–211, 1989.
- Murphy, T.J.; Pagano, R.R.; and Marlatt, G.A. Lifestyle modification with heavy alcohol drinkers: Effects of aerobic exercise and meditation. Addictive Behaviors 11(2):175–86, 1986.
- Rohsenow, D.J.; Smith, R.E.; and Johnson, S. Stress management training as a prevention program for heavy social drinkers: Cognitions, affect, drinking, and individual differences. Addictive Behaviors 10(1):45–54, 1985.
Larimer, M.E.; and Cronce, J.M. Identification, prevention, and treatment revisited: Individual-focused college drinking prevention strategies 1999–2006. Addictive Behaviors 32:2439–68, 2007.
- Borsari, B.; and Carey, K.B. Two brief alcohol interventions for mandated college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 19(3):296−302, 2005.
- Donohue, B.; Allen, D.N.; Maurer, A.; Ozols, J.; and DeStefano, G. A controlled evaluation of two prevention programs in reducing alcohol use among college students at low and high risk for alcohol related problems. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education 48(1):13−33, 2004.
- Fromme, K.; and Corbin, W. Prevention of heavy drinking and associated negative consequences among mandated and voluntary college students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 72(6):1038−49, 2004.
- Guarna, J. Altering binge drinking behavior: An intervention based on the attention-allocation model. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University, 2000.
- LaChance, H.; Feldstein Ewing, S.W.; Bryan, A.D.; and Hutchison, K.E. What makes group MET work? A randomized controlled trial of college student drinkers in mandated alcohol diversion. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors23(4):598–612, 2009.
- Peeler, C.M.; Far, J.; Miller, J.; and Brigham, T.A. An analysis of the effects of a program to reduce heavy drinking among college students. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education 45:39−54, 2000.
Cronce, J.M.; and Larimer, M.E. Individual-focused approaches to the prevention of college student drinking. Alcohol Research and Health 34(2):210–21, 2011.
- Hansson, H.; Rundberg, J.; Zetterlind, U.; Johnsson, K.O.; and Berglund, M. Two-year outcome of an intervention program for university students who have parents with alcohol problems: A randomized controlled trial. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31(11):1927–33, 2007.
References from 2019 update
- Donohue, B.C.; Loughran, T.A.; Pitts, M.T.; et al. Preliminary development of a brief intervention to prevent alcohol misuse and enhance sport performance in collegiate athletes. Journal of Drug Abuse 2:1–9, 2016.
- Hansson, H.; Rundberg, J.; Zetterlind, U.; et al. An intervention program for university students who have parents with alcohol problems: A randomized controlled trial. Alcohol and Alcoholism 41(6):655–663, 2006.
- Levin, M.E.; Haeger, J.A.; Pierce, B.G.; and Twohig, M.P. Web-based acceptance and commitment therapy for mental health problems in college students: A randomized controlled trial. Behavior Modification41(1):141–162, 2017.
- Moore, S.C.; Crompton, K.; van Goozen, S.; et al. A feasibility study of short message service text messaging as a surveillance tool for alcohol consumption and vehicle for interventions in university students. BMC Public Health 13(1):1011, 2013.
For information about intervention designs and implementation, check the articles in the References tab.
