title: The efficacy of computerized alcohol intervention tailored to drinking motives among college students: a quasi-experimental pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although motivational processes may influence the intervention effects and help prevention programmes identify students at great risk for alcohol-related problems, no computerized alcohol intervention has yet to be tailored to drinking motives.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the development and initial pilot testing of a computer-delivered intervention tailored to drinking motives, to prevent alcohol abuse and its adverse consequences among university students in general and among baseline hazardous drinkers specifically.
  
  
  METHODS
  124 college students attending a public university in northeastern Italy participated in this study in October of 2012 (89.2% female- mean age = 21.64-34% baseline hazardous drinkers). Two classes (one undergraduate, one graduate) were assigned to one of two conditions: intervention and control group. Both groups received profile-specific feedback and then the intervention group received profile-specific online training for 4 weeks. This profile was based on their risk type (high-low) and drinking motives (enhancement-social-conformity-coping).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Controlling for corresponding baseline alcohol measures, analyses showed a significant interaction between intervention condition and hazardous drinkers at baseline. For hazardous drinkers at baseline, the alcohol intervention results showed a significant decrease in frequency and quantity of alcohol use at follow-up, while no difference was observed between intervention conditions for non-hazardous drinkers at baseline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that hazardous drinkers (college students) who completed the specific training and received personalized feedback seemed to do better on frequency and quantity of alcohol use than hazardous drinkers (college students) who received only personalized feedback. These results seem to provide support for a larger trial of the intervention and for more appropriate evaluations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova , Padova , Italy.
authors.forename: Natale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Canale
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vieno
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santinello
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chieco
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andriolo
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012925:Social Conformity; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol abuse; college students; computer-delivered intervention; drinking motives; prevention