NCT02952872

Brief Alcohol E-Interventions Study

Optimizing E-interventions for Alcohol Use: Do Common Factors Apply?

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 352 (actual)
• Sponsor: Wayne State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The project seeks to develop an effective computer-delivered brief intervention to reduce alcohol use using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST). Sixteen different versions of the intervention will be tested with manipulation of common factors (empathy \& positive regard), use of a voice, and use of an animated narrator. Participants will include 352 undergraduate students randomly assigned to one intervention condition; follow-up assessments will take place at one and 3 months. The main outcome will be means drink per day over the past 30 day.

Detailed description

The proposed project seeks to develop a maximally effective computer-delivered brief intervention (CDBI) for reducing heavy alcohol use. To accomplish this, we will use the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST), an efficient method for optimizing intervention content, beginning with factorial designs evaluating main and interaction effects of specific intervention components. Our selection of components will be guided by: (a) Common Factors Theory, which highlights the tremendous contribution of non-specific factors, such as empathy and positive regard, to therapy outcomes, but which is of unknown relevance to CDBIs; and (b) Media Equation Theory, which suggests that people automatically respond to computers in social ways, particularly when those computers replicate human characteristics. To accomplish these goals, we will examine outcomes of computer-delivered brief interventions in which common factors (empathy \& positive regard), use of a voice, and use of an animated narrator are systematically manipulated using a factorial design. We will also systematically manipulate the presence vs. absence of motivational content in order to examine possible interactions between common factors and specific motivational techniques. Participants will be 352 undergraduates who are randomly assigned to 1 of 16 intervention conditions. Mean drinks per day over the past 30 days will be measured at 1 and 3-month follow-ups. Secondary analyses will also examine past month heavy drinking days, alcohol-related consequences, and intention to reduce alcohol use. We hypothesize that there will be significant main effects for (1) the factor consistent with Common Factors Theory (empathy and positive regard), (2) the two factors consistent with Media Equation Theory (voice and narrator), and (3) the presence of motivational content. We further hypothesize that mean drinks/day will be lower when (1) the common factors (empathy, positive regard) are combined with a voice and/or narrator or (2) motivational content is combined with common factors and/or a voice/narrator.

Conditions

• Alcohol Drinking in College

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Brief Tablet-based Intervention to Address Heavy Alcohol Use	The intervention will be be tablet-based and take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Content will focus on heavy alcohol use.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-12-23
• Primary completion: 2017-09-25
• Completion: 2018-01-13
• First posted: 2016-11-02
• Last updated: 2019-06-17
• Results posted: 2019-06-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States