Writing about the future self to shift drinking identity: An experimental investigation.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• College student drinking is a significant public health issue, necessitating innovative behavior change strategies.
• Drinking identity is a recognized cognitive risk factor for hazardous alcohol consumption among college students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if narrative writing about a future low-risk drinker identity could alter drinking identity in college students.
• To assess the impact of this writing intervention on alcohol consumption and related problems.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 328 college students with hazardous drinking criteria.
• Participants completed three narrative writing sessions, with conditions varying by writing topic, perspective, and social network instructions.
• Outcomes including drinking identity, self-efficacy, alcohol consumption, and problems were assessed at 2, 4, and 12 weeks.

Main Results:

• Contrary to hypotheses, narrative writing did not significantly shift drinking identity.
• The intervention did not lead to significant changes in alcohol consumption or alcohol-related problems.
• No significant effects were observed for interactions with writing perspective or social network instructions.

Conclusions:

• The tested narrative writing intervention was ineffective in modifying drinking identity or reducing hazardous drinking among college students.
• Future research may require different approaches to conceptualizing the future self or more targeted recruitment strategies.
• More sensitive measures of drinking identity might be necessary for future intervention studies.