Evaluating Telehealth Delivery of Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students

In this study, the researchers will evaluate the efficacy of a tele-BASICS approach utilizing the ZOOM application compared to in-person BASICS and a lower threshold treatment as usual intervention. Three hundred mandated and 300 volunteer students who report hazardous drinking will be recruited from two large universities and randomly assigned to a condition (in-person BASICS, Tele-BASICS, or treatment as usual). Follow-up assessments will occur 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-baseline. The significance of this research lies in the potential to maximize access to the highest standard of care by establishing support for easier access without sacrificing any central features of the traditional BASICS intervention. In addition, many universities pragmatically adapted existing in-person interventions to remote-telehealth approaches in response to the COVID pandemic but now have no scientific basis for determining whether transitioning back to in-person approaches would be beneficial.

Inclusion criteria

• between 18 and 26 years of age
• fluent in understanding English
• a registered student at one of the two intervention sites
• adequate internet capabilities to support video-conferencing
• access to a webcam, which is a standard features of most laptops, mobile devices, and desktops
• engage in binge drinking (i.e., 4 or more standard drinks in a sitting for women or 5 or more standard drinks in a sitting for men) at least once in the past month (for the volunteer sample only)
• experienced at least one negative alcohol-related consequence in the previous month (mandated students would meet this due to receiving an alcohol sanction)
• reports a score of 2 or higher on questions about a) interest in reducing their drinking, or b) interest in not increasing their drinking.

Exclusion criteria

• not meeting inclusion criteria or unwillingness to participate