Advanced search
234
Views
5
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Decisional Balance: Alcohol Decisional Balance Intervention for Heavy Drinking Undergraduates

, &
Pages 1717-1727
Received 20 Mar 2014
Accepted 30 Mar 2015
Published online: 10 Nov 2015

Background: This study evaluated a decisional balance intervention among heavy drinking undergraduates and compared a nonweighted decisional balance proportion (DBP; Collins, Carey, & Otto, 2009) to a participant-weighted DBP with weights based on relative importance of items. We expected: (1) the intervention to decrease drinking compared to control; (2) the weighted intervention to be more effective compared to the nonweighted or control in reducing drinking; and (3) intervention efficacy to be moderated by initial DBP. Method: Participants (N = 162, Mean age = 24.37, SD = 6.81, 27% male) were randomly assigned to an alcohol intervention wherein they were either asked to assign weights of importance to pros and cons (weighted intervention), or not (nonweighted intervention), or to control. Participants completed web-based questionnaires at baseline and again during a one month follow-up assessment. Results: Consistent with expectations, the nonweighted intervention was associated with reduced follow-up weekly drinking, and the weighted intervention was associated with reductions in drinking frequency. Results further indicated that initial decisional balance did not moderate intervention efficacy. Discussion: Findings suggest that the decisional balance procedure can reduce drinking but there was not compelling evidence for the addition of weights. This study lays the groundwork for enhancing future interventions by increasing empirical knowledge of the role motivation plays in heavy alcohol use.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
EUR 51.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
EUR 655.00 Add to cart

Purchase access via tokens

  • Choose from packages of 10, 20, and 30 tokens
  • Can use on articles across multiple libraries & subject collections
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded & printed
From EUR 400.00
per package
Learn more
* Local tax will be added as applicable
 

Related research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.