Brief Academic Future Thinking Intervention for College Student Drinkers

University of Memphis

Status: Completed

Conditions: Heavy Drinking

Treatments: Behavioral: Academic Episodic Future Thinking; Other: Vivid Memory Task

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04275739

PRO-FY2017-587

Details and patient eligibility

About

The present study investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and initial utility of a brief academic goal-relevant episodic future thinking (A-EFT) task among heavy college drinkers.

First, the study attempts to extend the temporal reach of EFT interventions which have demonstrated immediate reductions in discounting, and alcohol demand. The current study utilized a longitudinal design to evaluate whether EFT can change drinking behavior outside the lab in heavy drinking college students. The two-group experimental design included an active control group, weekly booster contact, and 1-month follow-up. Second, this study seeks to investigate whether the process of engaging in EFT is sufficient to produce effects when cues are not presented during the decision-making task. Lastly, this study adds an academic goal-related focus to the EFT task based on previous research indicating that forming meaningful academic goals is protective against drinking and associated problems.

Enrollment: 45 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 25 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Full-time Freshman/Sophomore Student
• 2+ Recent heavy drinking episodes (4/5 standard drinks in one sitting for men/women)

Exclusion criteria

• Current or past substance abuse treatment
• Current moderate/severe depressive symptoms

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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45 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental: Episodic Future Thinking

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Academic Episodic Future Thinking

Control: Vivid Memory Task

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Other: Vivid Memory Task