Saturday, December 26, 2009

Thinking about drinking: Need for cognition and readiness to change moderate the effects of brief alcohol interventions.


Research has demonstrated the efficacy of brief motivational interventions (BMI) and alcohol expectancy challenge (AEC) in reducing alcohol use and/or problems among college students. However, little is known about variables that may qualify the effectiveness of these approaches.

The present analyses tested the hypothesis that need for cognition (NFC), impulsivity/sensation seeking (IMPSS) and readiness to change (RTC) would moderate the effects of BMI and AEC.

Simple slopes analyses were used to probe these relationships and revealed that higher levels of NFC at baseline were associated with a stronger BMI effect on drinking outcomes over time. Similarly, higher levels of baseline RTC were associated with stronger AEC effects on alcohol use.

Future preventive interventions with this population may profit by considering individual differences and targeting approaches accordingly.



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Christy_Capone@brown.edu

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