Abstract
BackgroundThis study protocol describes a proposed randomized controlled trial that builds upon a successful pilot intervention study to address problematic and dangerous drinking among young adult college students studying abroad in foreign environments. Despite universities and colleges citing alcohol misuse as the most concerning issue for their students abroad, most institutions offer no empirically-based prevention efforts tailored to this at-risk population. The proposed intervention attempts to fill a major gap for the nearly 333,000 students completing study abroad programs each year by using empirically-based and theoretically-informed risk and protective factors to correct misperceived peer drinking norms and promote cultural engagement abroad. In addition to preventing heavy and problematic drinking, the intervention seeks to prevent risky sexual behaviors (e.g., sex without a condom) and experience of sexual violence victimization, which are strikingly common among study abroad students and have the potential for lasting physical and psychological effects upon return home.Methods/designWe will conduct a randomized controlled trial of an intervention with a sample of 1200 college students studying abroad from approximately 50 US universities and colleges. The brief, online intervention is text and video based and contains evidence-based components of personalized normative feedback to correct students’ misperceived drinking norms, content to promote engagement with the cultural experience abroad and address difficulties adjusting to life in the foreign environment, and tips and strategies to prevent risky sexual behaviors and sexual violence victimization abroad. Participants will complete online surveys at five time points (predeparture, first month abroad, last month abroad, 1-month post-return, and 3-months post-return) to assess for intervention effects on drinking behavior, drinking consequences, risky sex, and sexual violence outcomes. We will examine whether the mechanisms targeted by the intervention (changes in perceived norms, engagement in the cultural experience abroad) serve as mediators of intervention efficacy.DiscussionThe proposed study has the potential to fill an important gap in the research literature and provide empirical support for an online accessible, brief, and targeted approach that can easily be distributed to study abroad students to help prevent heavy alcohol use and sexual risk abroad.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03928067
Highlights
Intro to items: Many women have experienced unwanted sexual advances at some point during their lives
In our pilot work with a sample of 343 study abroad students from one university, we found that providing personalized normative feedback (PNF) focused on salient and proximal reference groups prior to their departure helped students form more accurate beliefs about drinking within their host country and prevented escalation of drinking while abroad [52]
Our pilot work showed that students provided with sojourner adjustment feedback (SAF) in addition to PNF prior to departure abroad experienced significantly fewer alcohol-related consequences abroad compared to students in a control condition, with the greatest benefits for the most at-risk students—those reporting heavier consequences at predeparture [52]
Summary
Intro to items: Many women have experienced unwanted sexual advances at some point during their lives. Women do not always report such experiences to police or discuss them with family or friends Such experiences can happen anytime in a woman’s life—even as a child. The person making these unwanted advances can be friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, coworkers, teaching assistants, supervisors, family members, strangers, or someone they just met. Such experiences can happen anytime in man’s life—even as a child The person making these unwanted advances can be friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, coworkers, teaching assistants, supervisors, family members, strangers, or someone they just met. Study abroad students are at‐risk for heavy drinking and negative sexual consequences Despite these benefits, American study abroad students represent a large and diverse population at-risk for increased and problematic drinking. University administrators and personnel working with study abroad students report substantial concerns with their students’ drinking behavior abroad [12,13,14,15]
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