Bystander Intervention for Hazardous Drinking

The objective of this treatment development grant is to create an innovative and efficacious alcohol intervention for emerging adults using features from three theoretically sound and empirically supported approaches. Established elements from Bystander Intervention (awareness of the problem, addressing pluralistic ignorance, skill building), Brief Motivational Intervention (client-centered foundation, corrective information about community norms, protective behavioral strategies) and Social Network Analysis (measuring network ties, identifying the influence of network members), will be integrated into a brief intervention that pays particular attention to the connectedness of residents in dormitory social networks. Social network analytic methods will be used to assess the primary peer network (the college residence) and a set of individuals exposed to others drinking risks will be identified to receive the intervention. This set of students will be engaged to serve as peer leaders to assist in reducing hazardous drinking behavior among their peers. This new intervention, a Bystander Brief Motivational Intervention (BBMI) spans Stages 1A and 1B of the stage model of behavioral therapies research and will utilize qualitative methods, an open trial, and a small controlled pilot trial within the targeted college community.

Inclusion criteria

• First-year students in one of two residence halls. The subset of participants who were selected for intervention or control had to have been exposed to others who showed risk signs in the past month.

Exclusion criteria

• None