Protective Behavioral Strategies in Risky Drinking Contexts: A Mixed Method Study - PROJECT SUMMARY Alcohol misuse remains a pervasive public problem, especially among young adult college students.1-3 An increasingly popular alcohol harm reduction intervention approach involves teaching and encouraging students to use alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategies (PBS).4-5 Despite evidence that such intervention approaches have modest effects on drinking-related outcomes 6-7 and that PBS may not have the same degree of implementation and effectiveness across all drinking contexts,8-9 no studies have examined the utility of and willingness to use PBS across actual risky drinking contexts. This gap is concerning given that the success of PBS interventions relies on the premise that the strategies will be implemented and effective when used to reduce alcohol-related harms. Guided by social-cognitive theory and empirical work, the aims of the proposed project are to identify which PBS are most likely to be used and why students might or might not use these strategies in risky drinking contexts by employing a mixed-method quantitative and qualitative approach. The present proposal objectives are to (1) identify the PBS that male and female college students most commonly use across drinking contexts; (2) test the link between use of these identified PBS and typical and context-specific risky drinking behaviors and alcohol-related consequences; and (3) identify perceived effectiveness and determine the reasons why students choose to use or not use certain PBS across specific drinking contexts. Study 1 involves collecting survey data from 500 college students (50% female) to assess PBS use, and drinking behaviors (i.e., use/negative consequences) in general and across two risky drinking contexts—when playing drinking games (DG)10-13 or while pregaming (PG).14-15 For Study 2, we will recruit a stratified random sample of 40 college students (50% female) from the first study to participate in a qualitative interview. Participants will complete a semi-structured interview that builds on quantitative responses about PBS use and elicits reasons for using or not using specific PBS, in general, when playing DG, and while PG, and perceived effectiveness of PBS in these contexts. Study 1’s analyses will unpack group behaviors and trends so we can identify the most relevant PBS across contexts and by sex. Study 2’s qualitative analyses will allow us to gain a more nuanced understanding of the barriers and facilitators to using PBS across contexts that are identified in Study 1. By understanding (a) the contexts in which PBS are used and associated with reduced alcohol consumption and risk for harm, and (b) the underlying reasons for their use/non-use and the facilitators/barriers to using these strategies across contexts and by sex, the field will gain the knowledge needed to further investigate context-based PBS use and to develop more successful evidence-based PBS interventions that best reduce alcohol-related harms for college students. Together, the results from the proposed project will help to achieve our long-term goal of identifying effective tools for reducing alcohol-related harms in young adult college students, fully consistent with NIAAA objectives16 and the CollegeAIM initiative.
