Alpha and EMG Feedback Training in the Prevention of Drug Abuse: A Controlled Study

Abstract

Seventy-five college students who were regular drug users were randomly assigned to five experimental groups: alpha feedback, EMG feedback, joked feedback, no-feedback and no-treatment. All treated subjects participated in twelve 30-minute training sessions, four in the laboratory and eight at the college, over a period of four weeks. At the end of the final session, the alpha group had a significantly higher adjusted mean alpha level than the EMG and no-feedback groups but this disappeared during follow-up. The EMG group had a significantly lower adjusted mean EMG value than the alpha, no-feedback and no-treatment groups, which was maintained during follow-up while feedback was present and, to a less substantial degree, when feedback was not present. There were no significant differences between treatment groups as regards the adjusted mean alcohol or cigarette consumption and sleep parameters. Concerning drug use, among medium users (6–13 times monthly), the EMG feedback group had a consistently significantly lower adjusted mean drug use after treatment and at the one- and three-month follow-ups than the no-treatment group. Among high users, subjects who received feedback (alpha, EMG or joked) tended to reduce their drug use compared to pre-treatment levels, whereas those in the no-feedback or no-treatment groups experienced an increase. Since drug use was the only variable appreciably influenced by feedback training, the results tend to suggest that EMG feedback could serve as a means for the prevention of drug abuse, particularly for patients where anxiety is a predisposing factor.