Computer-Based Interventions for Problematic Alcohol Use: a Review of Systematic Reviews

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this review is to provide an overview of knowledge and knowledge gaps in the field of computer-based alcohol interventions by (1) collating evidence on the effectiveness of computer-based alcohol interventions in different populations and (2) exploring the impact of four specified moderators of effectiveness: therapeutic orientation, length of intervention, guidance and trial engagement.MethodsA review of systematic reviews of randomized trials reporting on effectiveness of computer-based alcohol interventions published between 2005 and 2015.ResultsFourteen reviews met the inclusion criteria. Across the included reviews, it was generally reported that computer-based alcohol interventions were effective in reducing alcohol consumption, with mostly small effect sizes. There were indications that longer, multisession interventions are more effective than shorter or single session interventions. Evidence on the association between therapeutic orientation of an intervention, guidance or trial engagement and reductions in alcohol consumption is limited, as the number of reviews addressing these themes is low. None of the included reviews addressed the association between therapeutic orientation, length of intervention or guidance and trial engagement.ConclusionsThis review of systematic reviews highlights the mostly positive evidence supporting computer-based alcohol interventions as well as reveals a number of knowledge gaps that could guide future research in this field.

Editorial on IJBM Special Issue—E-Health Interventions for Addictive Behaviors

“…Somewhat surprisingly, the analyses revealed no differences between the interventions at any of the time points. This finding is somewhat in contrast with the conclusion in the review of reviews by Sundström et al [1] in this special issue, where the general tendency is that longer interventions lead to larger effects. It is, however, in line with the longer-term findings of Brendryen et al [14] in their RCT on brief versus intensive self-help for alcohol in the workplace setting.…”

“…This work emerged from the research-oriented network on ehealth interventions for ANTDG 1 behaviors, generously funded for 3 years by the Swedish Research Council on Health, Working Life and Welfare (http://forte.se/en/). 2 The network focused on developing the descriptive e-health intervention tool described in this issue, and on engaging in an ongoing discourse on the components, or Batoms^of alliance between the intervention user, the clinician, and the e-health intervention itself.…”

“…One gives an overview of the empirical status of the field regarding outcomes for one of the behaviors we focused on, problematic alcohol use, in a systematic review of reviews [1]. The second offers a tool for describing e-health interventions, as a step towards standardized reporting of such interventions, to facilitate communication about them and comparison between them [2].…”

The World Health Organization World Mental Health International College Student initiative: An overview

“…Internet interventions have been found to be effective in many mental health problems aside from depression and anxiety, including sleep problems (Ye et al, 2016), alcohol problems (Sundström, Blankers, & Khadjesari, 2017), and posttraumatic stress disorder (Sijbrandij, Kunovski, & Cuijpers, 2016). Furthermore, these interventions have been found to be effective in addressing psychological problems that are not directly diagnosed as mental disorders, but typically show strong associations with these disorders, such as procrastination (Rozental, Forsell, Svensson, Andersson, & Carlbring, 2015), perfectionism (Radhu, Daskalakis, Arpin-Cribbie, Irvine, & Ritvo, 2012), and stress management (Harrer et al, 2018).…”

Components evaluation of a web‐based personalized normative feedback intervention for alcohol use among college students: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial with a dismantling design

“…According to Social Norms Theory, this approach should be effective if interventions could successfully modify perceived norms . PNF has been widely evaluated and reviews show small effects in reducing alcohol use among college students . Despite advances in trials, there are few studies examining PNF's most effective components or other kinds of mechanistic studies testing the underlying theory .…”