Heterosocial Anxiety Intervention for Excessive Alcohol Users in College: A Bibliotherapy Approach

Alcohol use continues to grow at an alarming rate in college students despite serious health risks and numerous attempts to implement effective prevention programs. Many interventions are costly, time-consuming, and unappealing to young adults. Social anxiety is conceptualized as contributing to alcohol use but research has been unable to show a clear relationship between these two factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a brief self-help book on alcohol use with college students reporting elevated drinking rates and heterosocial anxiety. The self-help book was written by the principal investigator and William O'Donohue, Ph.D. and utilized cognitive-behavioral techniques for reducing heterosocial anxiety, or anxiety caused by opposite sex interactions, in a casual and interactive format. Over 500 undergraduate students were screened for participation and 49 were randomly assigned to read the self-help book or a wait-list control condition. Participants completed several dependent measures at the beginning and end of a five week period. Results showed significant differences for the self-help group in terms of alcohol use, heterosocial anxiety, and heterosocial competence. The self-help group also demonstrated significant between group differences for heterosocial competence and heterosexual interactions. No significant changes were found in the self-help group for alcohol-related problems or binge drinking. Results, study limitations and implications for alcohol research with college students are discussed.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctorate Degree

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Medjuck, Joshua

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• O'Donohue, William T.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Hazlett-Stevens, Holly
• Papa, Anthony
• Fisher, Jane
• Shadley, Meri

• Alcohol
• Bibliotherapy
• College
• Heterosocial Anxiety
• Heterosocial Competence

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright(All Rights Reserved)

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11714/2899

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/2899