Enhanced Effectiveness of Personalized Interventions for College Students with Risky Drinking Behavior

Personalized feedback interventions (PFIs) are widely used to help college students reduce their alcohol consumption and mitigate related negative consequences. However, these interventions vary significantly in their length and complexity. Recent research highlights that tailoring the intervention's thoroughness based on the student's level of attentiveness can significantly influence its success.

Drinking behaviors among young adults are heavily influenced by peer perceptions, with students often overestimating their peers' alcohol use. This misconception may encourage heavier drinking and heighten associated risks. To combat this, many interventions employ personalized normative feedback (PNF), which provides students with information comparing their drinking patterns to those of their peers. These PFIs can range from brief, simple messages to comprehensive, multicomponent programs delivered through online platforms or text messaging.

A study published in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research evaluated how attentiveness affects the outcomes of different PFI strategies. The research involved 1,137 college students aged 18-24 who reported at least one binge drinking episode in the past month. Participants were randomly assigned to receive varying online PFIs, ranging from four to twenty-seven pages of content.

The interventions differed in complexity: some simply compared an individual's drinking with peers, while others included additional elements such as expectations about alcohol, factors influencing tolerance, and protective behavioral strategies. Attentiveness was assessed through surveys administered immediately after the intervention and during follow-ups at three, six, and twelve months.

Findings showed that students with lower attentiveness benefited more from straightforward, single-component interventions, which effectively reduced drinking and alcohol-related issues. Conversely, more elaborate, multicomponent PFIs yielded greater benefits among students demonstrating higher attentiveness. These students experienced notable reductions in drinks consumed and negative consequences. Interestingly, heavier drinkers appeared to pay more attention to interventions regardless of their complexity, emphasizing the importance of considering drinking severity.

The results suggest that simple interventions are practical and effective, especially for students with lower engagement levels. Meanwhile, more comprehensive PFIs can be more impactful for attentive, heavier drinkers, incorporating strategies like reflective questions and quizzes to boost attentiveness. Future research is encouraged to explore diverse populations and refine measures of attentiveness, potentially enhancing intervention strategies further.

This study underscores the importance of matching intervention complexity to individual student characteristics, optimizing the impact of PFIs in reducing risky drinking behaviors among college students.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-personalized-interventions-risky-college-students.html