Assessing the protective value of protective behavioral strategies

Many students report using strategies believed to reduce risk of harm from consumption of alcohol. The effectiveness of these strategies was tested in this study.

A sample of 442 undergraduate students (50.5% female) was asked to report how many alcoholic drinks they consumed on a recent drinking occasion, which protective strategies were used, and which harms were experienced.

Although reported use of more protective strategies was associated with less consumption, it appeared to be unrelated to harmful consequences. More detailed analyses suggested that only a small subset of strategies (primarily those concerning the manner of drinking) was consistently associated with reduced consumption and/or harms.

The findings cast doubt on the efficacy of protective strategies or at least the validity of the self-report instruments used to assess these strategies.