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To date, few interventions have been developed to target pre-drinking specifically. An online, theory-based intervention by Caudwell et al. (2018) showed reductions in pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm, albeit independent of the intervention component/s used. Information about feasibility and acceptability of pre-drinking interventions may therefore be an important point of focus in refining and developing effective interventions. The present manuscript investigates how participants (N = 117) in Caudwell et al. (2018) rated the intervention in terms of feasibility and acceptability. A feasibility and acceptability measure was factor analysed and investigated in relation to participant scores on theory-based measures (e.g., attitude, goal self-concordance), as well as demographic and alcohol consumption variables measured at baseline. Results indicate participants with higher scores on theory-based measures related to behaviour change and goal self-concordance at baseline rated the intervention more positively at follow-up. The findings indicate future intervention research should consider stages of change, with broader alcohol policy and public health strategy focused on changing attitudes toward pre-drinking, which remains a popular health-risk behaviour., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Pre-drinking, the practice of consuming alcohol prior to attending a subsequent event, increases the risk of alcohol-related harm, and is common in undergraduate student populations. The current study tested an integrated behaviour change model to identify the motivational, social-cognitive, and implicit predictors of pre-drinking., Design: University students (N = 289) completed an online questionnaire comprising measures of motivational and social-cognitive constructs related to reducing pre-drinking alcohol consumption and past behaviour, and an implicit association test for drinking identity. Participants reported their pre-drinking alcohol consumption at follow-up, 4 weeks from baseline., Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported pre-drinking alcohol consumption., Results: A variance-based structural equation model revealed that few model hypotheses were supported. Although the effects of past behaviour, perceived behavioural control, and implicit drinking identity, on follow-up pre-drinking alcohol consumption were statistically significant, the effect of intention was not., Conclusions: Current findings indicate pre-drinking alcohol consumption is associated with past behaviour, perceived behavioural control and implicit drinking identity, and no intentions to reduce pre-drinking alcohol consumption. The finding raise questions over the validity of applying the integrated model in this context. Interventions should consider these factors and attempt to facilitate the formation of intentions that lead to subsequent behaviour.

Purpose: The present study tested the efficacy of a theory-based online intervention comprising motivational (autonomy support) and volitional (implementation intention) components to reduce pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm., Method: Undergraduate students (N = 202) completed self-report measures of constructs from psychological theories, pre-drinking alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related harm at baseline and were randomly assigned to one of four intervention conditions in a 2 (autonomy support: present/absent) × 2 (implementation intention: present/absent) design. Participants completed follow-up measures of all variables at 4 weeks post-intervention. All participants received national guidelines on alcohol consumption and an e-mail summary of intervention content at its conclusion. Participants also received weekly SMS messages in the 4-week post-intervention period restating content relevant to their intervention condition., Results: Neither statistically significant main effect for either the autonomy support or implementation intention intervention components nor an interaction effect was found on the outcome measures. However, statistically significant reductions in pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm were observed across all groups at follow-up, when compared to baseline., Conclusion: Reductions in outcome measures were likely related to elements common to each condition (i.e., provision of national guidelines, assessment of outcome measures, e-mail summary, and SMS messages), rather than motivational and volitional components.

Background: Pre-drinking refers to the consumption of alcohol at home or a private residence prior to attending a subsequent social event. We present the study protocol of an online theory-based intervention to reduce pre-drinking and related harm in pre-drinking undergraduates, using behavior change techniques targeting the motivational and volitional phases of behaviour., Design: A fully randomized 2 (autonomy support: present vs. absent) x 2 (implementation intention: present vs. absent) between-participants design will be used to ascertain the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. Participants will complete a range of theory-based measures prior to being allocated to one of the four experimental conditions. Four weeks later, participants will complete a follow-up questionnaire comprised of theoretical and behavioral measures., Analyses: The main and interactive effects of the intervention components in reducing our primary dependent variables, namely, pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm at four-week follow-up will be tested. Baseline alcohol consumption and demographic information will be included in the analysis as covariates., Discussion: This online intervention is the first to be developed to reduce pre-drinking alcohol consumption, a behaviour linked to increased risk of alcohol-related harm. The intervention targets motivational and volitional components of the behaviour change process and is therefore likely to lead to greater reductions in pre-drinking alcohol consumption and experience of alcohol-related harm compared to either approach in isolation. If successful, the intervention can be implemented across various contexts and in populations where pre-drinking is prevalent., Trial Registration: ACTRN12614001102662 . Registered 16 October 2014.

The present study investigated how pre-drinking could be explained using a model based on dual-systems theory, incorporating measures of explicit and implicit constructs. Undergraduate students (N = 144; 44 male; 100 female; M age = 20.1 years), completed an online survey comprising measures of pre-drinking motives, a measure of pre-drinking cost motives, and an alcohol identity implicit association test. Variance-based structural equation modelling revealed that the predictors explained 34.8% of the variance in typical pre-drinking alcohol consumption and 25% of the variance in alcohol-related harm. Cost, interpersonal enhancement, and barriers to consumption motives predicted higher typical pre-drinking alcohol consumption and greater alcohol-related harm. Higher situational control scores predicted lower typical pre-drinking alcohol consumption, and lower alcohol-related harm. Positive implicit alcohol identity predicted alcohol-related harm, but not typical alcohol consumption. Results indicate that a dual-systems approach to pre-drinking has utility in predicting alcohol-related harm and may inform interventions to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and associated harm.

BackgroundPre-drinking refers to the consumption of alcohol at home or a private residence prior to attending a subsequent social event. We present the study protocol of an online theory-based intervention to reduce pre-drinking and related harm in pre-drinking undergraduates, using behavior change techniques targeting the motivational and volitional phases of behaviour.DesignA fully randomized 2 (autonomy support: present vs. absent) x 2 (implementation intention: present vs. absent) between-participants design will be used to ascertain the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. Participants will complete a range of theory-based measures prior to being allocated to one of the four experimental conditions. Four weeks later, participants will complete a follow-up questionnaire comprised of theoretical and behavioral measures.AnalysesThe main and interactive effects of the intervention components in reducing our primary dependent variables, namely, pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm at four-week follow-up will be tested. Baseline alcohol consumption and demographic information will be included in the analysis as covariates.DiscussionThis online intervention is the first to be developed to reduce pre-drinking alcohol consumption, a behaviour linked to increased risk of alcohol-related harm. The intervention targets motivational and volitional components of the behaviour change process and is therefore likely to lead to greater reductions in pre-drinking alcohol consumption and experience of alcohol-related harm compared to either approach in isolation. If successful, the intervention can be implemented across various contexts and in populations where pre-drinking is prevalent.Trial registrationACTRN12614001102662 . Registered 16 October 2014.