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 multi-site 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 multi-site 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.
