Brief motivational intervention for heavy drinking mandated and voluntary freshmen: A 1-year follow-up assessment

Evaluation of a Community-Based Harm Reduction Intervention Aimed at Adjudicated College Students

The purpose of this study was to develop, test, and use an instrument to measure the effectiveness of a community-based, mandated drug education intervention program, Youthful Offenders Program (YOP), targeting college students at risk. A total of N = 350 students voluntarily agreed to participate in an evaluation of program effectiveness using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and a newly developed measure to compare changes in substance related behaviors over time. Results revealed sound psychometric structure for the new scale for use in program evaluation; results suggest that YOP significantly enhanced safety practices and reduced hazardous drinking and recidivism, but not avoidance of risky behaviors.

Addictive Behavior Interventions Among College Students

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Addictive behaviors among college students are a significant public health concern. This manuscript reviews the past two years of literature on prevention and treatment approaches for college students who engage in addictive behaviors.

RECENT FINDINGS

In-person skills-based interventions and motivational interventions that incorporate personalized feedback are effective in the short-term but little support was found for long-term effects. Although web-based interventions reduced certain addictive behaviors (e.g., alcohol, problematic gambling), in-person interventions that include motivational interviewing components and personalized feedback appear to be more efficacious.

SUMMARY

Research has largely focused on alcohol and little is known about the utility of interventions for students who use tobacco or illicit substances or who engage in problematic gambling. Research on interventions for these high-risk behaviors is recommended.