This research study will test the efficacy of a telehealth version of the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS), which is the gold standard prevention and intervention approach to target heavy alcohol use on college campuses across the United States.
In this study, the researchers will evaluate the efficacy of a tele-BASICS approach utilizing the ZOOM application compared to in-person BASICS and a lower threshold treatment as usual intervention. Three hundred mandated and 300 volunteer students who report hazardous drinking will be recruited from two large universities and randomly assigned to a condition (in-person BASICS, Tele-BASICS, or treatment as usual). Follow-up assessments will occur 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-baseline. The significance of this research lies in the potential to maximize access to the highest standard of care by establishing support for easier access without sacrificing any central features of the traditional BASICS intervention. In addition, many universities pragmatically adapted existing in-person interventions to remote-telehealth approaches in response to the COVID pandemic but now have no scientific basis for determining whether transitioning back to in-person approaches would be beneficial.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
600
The intervention is the BASICS protocol outlined in the BASICS manual. It includes an online self-administered assessment and then delivery of a feedback session either in-person or over Zoom.
This is a control intervention that is used as the first-line sanction for students at the two universities. It is an online program, informed by BASICS content, but contains no facilitator and is self-directed.
University of Houston
Houston, Texas, United States
Alcohol use
Quantity and frequency of alcohol use in the past month (i.e., how many days drank and how many drinks per occasion). Assessed at baseline and then 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-baseline.
Time frame: Assessed over the course of 12 months
Alcohol-related consequences
Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire assesses past month consequences from alcohol use. Higher scores indicate more endorsement of the 24 consequences (yes/no) items on the scale. Outcome assessed at baseline and then 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-baseline
Time frame: Assessed over the course of 12 months
Completion rates
We will evaluate completion rates of the each of the three programs tested in this study. This will be indicated by whether participants attended their scheduled BASICS session or fully completed their online treatment as ususal alcohol program
Time frame: One time assessment at end of program, after 1 session is completed 1 to 2 weeks post-baseline
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