Research & Resources

Researchers studied alcohol-related protective behavioral strategies (PBS) that college students used to reduce risk of intoxication and/or consequences (e.g., spacing drinks, having a designated driver). Daily data collected prospectively tested the extent to which college students’ plans for using different types of PBS on a given day were associated with actual PBS use and whether drinking intentions moderated the strength of the association between PBS plans and use. Findings indicated that college students do plan to use PBS ahead of drinking occasions, and when students had stronger than usual plans for PBS, they tended to follow through on their plans. It may be beneficial to enhance students’ PBS plans in interventions by addressing potential barriers to PBS. 

This paper, “The link between planning and doing: Daily-level associations between college students’ plans for and use of alcohol-related protective behavioral strategies,” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.