Effectiveness of a brief intervention using mental simulations in reducing alcohol consumption in corporate employees

Abstract

A theory-based intervention aimed at reducing corporate employees' alcohol consumption in excess of guideline limits is presented. The intervention adopted an outcome mental simulation technique and was administered to a sample of corporate employees from three companies. A single-arm randomized-controlled design was adopted. All participants completed baseline psychological measures and self-reported number of alcohol units consumed and binge-drinking occasions. Participants allocated to the intervention condition were presented with a mental simulation exercise. One month later, participants completed follow-up measures of the psychological variables and alcohol consumption. Results revealed a significant effect of the mental simulation intervention on number of units of alcohol consumed at follow-up. There was no effect of the intervention on frequency of binge-drinking occasions. There was no evidence for the mediation of the effect of mental simulations on alcohol consumption by the perceived behavioural control and motivation variables. Results support the efficacy of the mental simulation intervention in reducing alcohol consumption but not in reducing binge drinking or alcohol consumption in excess of guideline limits, among corporate employees. Results are discussed with respect to the importance of the mental simulation intervention to inform practice and the proposed processes by which mental simulations affect alcohol consumption.

Keywords:

• binge drinking
• mental simulations
• planned behaviour
• workplace

Acknowledgement

The research was supported by grant #EA 07 10 from ERAB: The European Foundation for Alcohol Research (www.erab.org) awarded to Martin S. Hagger.

Notes

1. In accordance with inclusion criteria, all participants reported consuming alcohol during the previous four weeks at baseline. The average weekly number of units consumed by participants at baseline ranged from 0.5 to 51.