The impact of motives-related feedback on drinking to cope among college students

Abstract

Motives for alcohol use are associated with distinct antecedents and consequences.Drinking alcohol to cope with negative affect is consistently associated with the most problematic patterns of use. Interventions targeting drinking to cope are needed. This randomized controlled treatment trial evaluated the impact of a brief coping motive feedback-based intervention on motives and problematic outcomes associated with drinking. In addition, a more comprehensive model of the antecedents and consequences of drinking to cope was tested. The study randomized 170 participants to receive either a brief Standard Feedback Condition (SFC; n = 83) or a Motives Feedback Condition (MFC; n = 87) that added education and feedback on drinking to cope as well as alternate coping strategies. Significant reductions in drinking to cope with depression were greater in the MFC at the 2-month follow-up, but the intervention's effect on drinking to cope with anxiety did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance.Significant reductions in drinking and negative consequences were observed but did not differ significantly by condition. Change in coping with depression motives mediated the effect of the intervention on outcomes of drinking and negative consequences. Partial support was found for a structural model linking antecedents of use, coping motives, and consequences associated with substance use. This study is a promising new direction in motives research, providing support for brief interventions incorporating motives-related feedback and for furthering our understanding of the origins and consequences of drinking to cope with negative affect.

A longitudinal evaluation of the role of alcohol self‐concept in alcohol use, motives, negative affect, and alcohol‐related problems among emerging adults

“…Our results suggest that targeting motives could potentially lead to decreased self‐concept and, in turn, decreased problematic use. Previous research in emerging adults has established that targeting coping motives through a motive‐specific intervention is associated with a reduction in motives and alcohol‐related constructs …”

Change in motives among frequent cannabis-using adolescents: Predicting treatment outcomes

“…Future research should examine motives-specific treatment interventions. For example, there is preliminary evidence in an alcohol-using population that a coping motive-specific brief feedback intervention could reduce motives and problematic outcomes (see Blevins and Stephens, 2016). Additionally, an intervention that incorporated motives education was associated with reductions in motives for use and subsequent negative outcomes (LaBrie et al, 2008).…”

“…Additionally, the change in motives – particularly the coping motive – was associated with reductions in cannabis use frequency, problems, and dependence symptoms at later follow-ups. A recent motivational and coping skills-based intervention also reported reductions in motives for drinking post-intervention (Blevins and Stephens, 2016). …”

Reducing drinking to cope among heavy episodic drinking college women: Secondary outcomes of a web-based combined alcohol use and sexual assault risk reduction intervention

“…Future studies should replicate this finding and examine potential mechanisms to explain this finding including assessing potential drinking to cope with sex motives. Additionally, future research should consider incorporating drinking motive-specific feedback which has promising preliminary findings (Blevins & Stephens, 2016) into combined alcohol and sexual assault risk interventions for college women who engage in heavy episodic drinking.…”

“…This suggests that for some, drinking to cope with anxiety motives are a mechanism of change of this combined intervention and it may be possible to strengthen the efficacy of this intervention by more directly targeting drinking motives through drinking motive-specific feedback (Blevins & Stephens, 2016). …”