Reducing High-Risk Drinking Among Student-Athletes: The Effects of a Targeted Athlete-Specific Brief Intervention

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the effects of a single-session motivational interviewing–based in-person brief alcohol intervention that contained student-athlete–specific personalized drinking feedback. Participants: Participants were 170 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I student-athletes meeting screening criteria for heavy episodic drinking. Methods: Baseline assessments of alcohol use frequency and quantity, norm perceptions of peers' alcohol use, experiences of negative consequences, and use of protective behaviors were administered to student-athletes prior to a 1-session brief intervention containing personalized feedback highlighting the relationship between alcohol use and athletic performance. Follow-up assessment was conducted 3 months post intervention. Results: Student-athletes participating in the athlete-specific brief intervention showed significant reductions in their alcohol use and alcohol-related negative consequences, increases in use of protective behavioral strategies, and corrections in norm misperceptions at 3 months post intervention relative to a no-treatment comparison group. Conclusions: Student-athlete–specific brief alcohol interventions show promise in addressing high-risk drinking, reducing associated harms, and supporting health.

Keywords:

• alcohol
• brief intervention
• mental health
• prevention
• student-athletes