A sociodrama: an innovative program engaging college students to learn and self-reflect about alcohol use

A sociodrama addressing college drinking.

This article reports on the development, production, and evaluation of an innovative sociodrama addressing college drinking mental health professionals caring for students who drink at levels that cause negative consequences can use techniques addressed in the sociodrama to help students self-reflect on their alcohol use. The goal is to help students make healthy choices to decrease the negative consequences as a result of drinking. A script for the sociodrama was developed and five students acted out the sociodrama. A facilitator engaged the audience of college students, at scripted pauses, during the production to reflect on the scenes presented. The purpose of the sociodrama is to foster a discussion, to aid in student understanding concerning college drinking, to have students consider and commit to use harm reduction techniques, to access resources, and to correct misperceptions about drinking. The sociodrama format can help address communication challenges, problem solving, and self-awareness.

Pre- and post-surveys were administered to test commitment to use harm reduction techniques, assess the perception of a student's own drinking pattern to the perception of their fellow student colleague drinking, assess the student use of resources, and assess the effectiveness of the sociodrama as a means of learning. This research was Institutional Review Board approved.

Over 41% of students reported not consuming alcohol the last time they partied or socialized yet reported only 3.8% of their students colleagues did not consume alcohol. Most students (94%) reported that drinking five or more drinks would place them at risk as opposed to estimating that the same amount would put fewer students at risk (75%). Students significantly increased their commitment to use harm reduction techniques.

A sociodrama is an effective method of involving students in discussions about college drinking and engaging them in conversation and self-reflection.