Brief Alcohol E-Interventions Study

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.

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.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: no common factors, no human voice, no animated narrator, and no motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: no common factors, no human voice, no animated narrator, and motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: no common factors, no human voice, the presence of an animated narrator, and no motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: no common factors, no human voice, the presence of an animated narrator, and motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: no common factors, a human voice guiding the intervention, no animated narrator, and no motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: no common factors, a human voice guiding the intervention, no animated narrator, and the presence of motivational content.

7. Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: no common factors, a human voice guiding the intervention, an animated narrator guiding the intervention, and no motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: no common factors, a human voice to guide the intervention, an animated narrator to guide the intervention, and the presence of motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: common factors, no human voice, no animated narrator, and no motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: common factors, no human voice, no animated narrator, and the presence of motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: common factors, no human voice, an animated narrator to guide the intervention, and no motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: common factors, no human voice, an animated narrator to guide the intervention, and the presence of motivational content.

13. Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: common factors, a human voice to guide the intervention, no animated narrator, and no motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: common factors, a human voice to guide the intervention, no animated narrator, and the presence of motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: common factors, a human voice to guide the intervention, an animated narrator to guide the intervention, and no motivational content.

Participants will complete a brief tablet-based intervention created to include the following features: common factors, a human voice to guide the intervention, an animated narrator to guide the intervention, and the presence of motivational content.

The intervention will be be tablet-based and take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Content will focus on heavy alcohol use.

Average of reports from past 30 days on the number of standard drinks consumed by participant over the past 30 days.

Number of days participant reports drinking 4/5 (male/female) alcoholic drinks in a 2-hour period during the past 30 days

Participants self-report intentions to reduce drinking on the Drinking Intentions Questionnaire. On this questionnaire, participants rate how likely they are to reduce their drinking over the next week, month, and year on a scale ranging from '0 = Not at all likely' to '5 = Extremely likely.' Higher scores mean greater intentions to reduce drinking. In order to obtain more stable estimates and reduce type I error, responses to the week, month and year questions were summed to create a total drinking intentions score which could range from 0 to 15. More specifically, scores on each individual scale item (i.e. intentions to reduce drinking over the week, month and year) could range from 0 to 5. When summed together, these items created the total score (reported here) which could range from 0 to 15.

Inclusion Criteria: Participants must be students at Wayne State University, aged 18 or older. Additionally, participants must report either (1) consuming 3 (women)/4 (men) drinks per day or 7 (women)/14 (men) drinks per week, (2) getting drunk at least once per week over the past 6 months or (3) binge drinking at least once per week over the past 6 months (i.e. more than 4 (women)/5 (men) drinks in a 2 hr. period). Exclusion Criteria: Individuals who are under the age of 18, or who do not meet the study's drinking criteria

Grekin ER, Beatty JR, McGoron L, Kugler KC, McClure JB, Pop DE, Ondersma SJ. Testing the efficacy of motivational strategies, empathic reflections, and lifelike features in a computerized intervention for alcohol use: A factorial trial. Psychol Addict Behav. 2019 Sep;33(6):511-519. doi: 10.1037/adb0000502. Epub 2019 Aug 22.