ABSTRACT. Objective:The current study is a multisite randomized alcohol prevention trial to evaluate the effi cacy of both a parenting handbook intervention and the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) intervention, alone and in combination, in reducing alcohol use and consequences among a high-risk population of matriculating college students (i.e., former high school athletes). Method: Students (n = 1,275) completed a series of Web-administered measures at baseline (in the summer before starting college) and follow-up (after 10 months). Students were randomized to one of four conditions: parent intervention only, BASICS only, combined (parent and BASICS), and assessment-only control. Intervention effi cacy was tested on a number of outcome measures, including peak blood alcohol concentration, weekly and weekend drinking, and negative consequences. Hypothesized mediators and moderators of intervention effect were tested. Results:The overall results revealed that the combined-intervention group had signifi cantly lower alcohol consumption, high-risk drinking, and consequences at 10-month follow-up, compared with the control group, with changes in descriptive and injunctive peer norms mediating intervention effects. Conclusions: The fi ndings of the present study suggest that the parent intervention delivered to students before they begin college serves to enhance the effi cacy of the BASICS intervention, potentially priming students to respond to the subsequent BASICS session. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 70: [555][556][557][558][559][560][561][562][563][564][565][566][567] 2009)

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between peer facilitator adherence to motivational interviewing (MI) microskills and college student drinking behavior. First year students (N=67) took part in a Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) led by peer facilitators trained in MI and BASICS. Participants were assessed pre- and 2 weeks post-intervention on contemplation to change, as well as, pre- and 3 months post- intervention on drinking quantity. Independent coders used the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity scale (MITI, Moyers, Martin, Manuel, & Miller, 2003) to evaluate therapist MI adherence. Peer facilitators met beginning proficiency in MI on scores of empathy, the ratio of MI adherent behaviors to non-adherent behaviors and the ratio of open questions to total questions as defined by the MITI. Results indicated that a higher number of closed questions was related to less contemplation and a higher number of open questions was related to more contemplation post intervention. A higher number of simple reflections was associated with increased drinking at the 3 month assessment, however, complex reflections were found to attenuate the effect of simple reflections on changes in drinking. These findings highlight the importance of competent reflective listening skills and the need for continual training and supervision for peer facilitators.

These findings strongly suggest that all young children with FAS should receive complete developmental evaluations that include assessment of their motor functioning, to identify problem areas and provide access to developmental intervention programs that target deficit areas such as fine motor skills. Fine motor delays in children with FAS may be related to specific neurobehavioral deficits that affect fine motor skills. The findings support the concept of an FASD continuum in some areas of motor development.

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous findings (Tollison, Lee, Neighbors, Neil, Olson, & Larimer, 2008) on the association between peer facilitator adherence to motivational interviewing (MI) microskills and college student drinking behavior. This study used a larger sample size, multiple follow-up time-points, and latent variable analyses allowing for more complex models to be tested in a sample with different characteristics than Tollison et al. (2008). Matriculating students who participated in high school sports (N = 327) took part in a Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) led by peer facilitators trained in Motivational Interviewing. Participants were assessed pre- and immediately post-intervention on contemplation to change, as well as pre-, 5 months and 10 months post-intervention on drinking quantity. Independent coders used the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity scale (MITI, Moyers, Martin, Manuel, & Miller, 2003) to evaluate therapist MI adherence. Contrary to our previous study, results indicated that a higher number of open questions was positively related to increases in drinking, especially for heavier drinkers. Congruent with the previous study, more simple reflections was positively related to increases in drinking. Finally, this study revealed that heavier baseline drinking was associated with more simple reflections. There were no significant results found for changes in contemplation. Results corroborate previous findings that the excessive use of simple reflections may be indicative of counter therapeutic outcomes while raising questions about the relationship between the frequency of open questions and therapeutic outcomes.