Sensation Seeking and Adolescent Drinking: Do Protective Behavioral Strategies Lower Risk?

Using a cross-sectional design, we examined protective behavioral strategies (PBS) as a moderator of the relationship between sensation seeking and hazardous drinking and alcohol-related consequences among high school seniors (N = 212). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated sensation seeking was a significant predictor of binge drinking (ß = .65, p < .001), pre-partying (ß = .71, p < .001), gaming (ß = .75, p < .001), and alcohol-related consequences (ß = .69, p < .001). Further, PBS moderated these relationships such that among high sensation seeking adolescents, PBS use was associated with better outcomes, including lower levels of binge drinking (ß = -.37, p < .01), pre-partying (ß = -.44, p < .01), gaming (ß = -.31, p < .05), and alcohol-related consequences (ß = -.53, p < .001). We discuss counseling implications, including assessment and harm reduction strategies focusing on PBS to reduce hazardous drinking among high sensation seeking adolescents.

Age of Drinking Initiation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Sensation Seeking and Heavy Drinking among High School Seniors.

Sensation seeking has been identified as a significant risk factor for adolescent alcohol use. Little is known, however, about the process by which sensation seeking impacts heavy alcohol use. The current study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships among sensation seeking, age of drinking initiation, and heavy alcohol use in a sample of high school seniors (N = 221). Results supporting age of drinking initiation as a mediator of the relationship between sensation seeking and heavy alcohol use. Implications include providing personality-targeted prevention to adolescents who display sensation seeking traits to delay drinking initiation among these students.

Impact of Brief Intervention Workshops on Addiction Provider Knowledge, Skills, Negative Attitudes, and Interest in Implementing Evidence-Based Practices.

This study evaluated the impact of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) workshops on posttraining knowledge, skills, negative attitudes, and interest in implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs). Participants ( N = 70) were primarily mental health counselor (41.4%), social workers (20.0%), substance abuse counselors (15.7%), school counselors (5.7%), and nursing professionals (4.3%) who selected the 1- or 2-day workshop for continuing education credit. Participants attended either a Basic MI training workshop (1 day) or a Basic MI training plus an advanced MI/SBIRT training workshop (2 days) to assess if exposure to two EBPs would improve training outcomes. Participants in both the 1-day and 2-day workshops reported posttraining increased perceived knowledge and skills, decreased negative attitudes toward EBPs, and increased interest in implementing EBPs from pretraining to posttraining. There were no differences between participants in the Basic MI or MI plus advanced MI/SBIRT training conditions. Implications for reducing the research-practice gap in EBPs are discussed.

Impulsive sensation seeking, binge drinking, and alcohol-related consequences: Do protective behavioral strategies help high risk adolescents?

This study examined protective behavioral strategies (PBS) as a moderator of the relationship between impulsive sensation seeking and binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences in a sample of high school seniors (N=346). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that impulsive sensation seeking was a significant predictor of binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences and that PBS moderated these relationships. Specifically, manner of drinking moderated the relationships such that among students with high impulsive sensation seeking, those using strategies related to how they drink (e.g. avoiding rapid and excessive drinking) reported lower levels of binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences than those using fewer of these strategies. Clinical implications are discussed including using personality-targeted interventions that equip high impulsive sensation seeking adolescents with specific strategies to reduce binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences.