ABC-training as a new intervention for hazardous alcohol drinking: Two proof-of-principle randomized pilot studies

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Health behavior change interventions aim to modify automatic processes.
• ABC-training targets automatic activation of adaptive beliefs (inferences).
• This study investigates web-based ABC-training for alcohol consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the effectiveness of online ABC-training.
• To assess changes in outcome expectancies for alcohol drinking.
• To evaluate the intervention in hazardous drinkers.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments (exploratory and confirmatory) with hazardous drinkers.
• Online ABC-training versus control-training.
• Assessments at baseline and 1-week follow-up.

Main Results:

• ABC-training significantly increased negative outcome expectancies for alcohol.
• ABC-training significantly reduced self-reported positive outcome expectancies.
• Findings on automatic positive outcome expectancies were mixed.

Conclusions:

• Web-based ABC-training shows potential for altering alcohol outcome expectancies.
• Further studies are required to validate clinically significant effects.
• The intervention warrants testing in diverse populations.