The role of Personalized Normative feedback in the efficacy of Brief Intervention among Argentinian university students: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) aims to modify misperceptions about peer consumption that influence one´s drinking. PNF is usually a component in Brief Interventions delivered to university students. Despite this, whether PNF contributes to improving the effect of brief interventions is unclear. This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine the role of PNF as an active ingredient in a face-to-face motivational brief intervention. Participants were students from an Argentinian university (n=806; M=20.14; SD=3.17; 63.2% women) who presented at least one binge drinking episode in the last 12 months. Students were randomly assigned to 1) a Brief Intervention, 2) a Brief Intervention with PNF, or 3) an evaluation-only control group. The follow-up was three months later. After controlling sex and age, General Linear Models showed that both the brief intervention and the brief intervention with PNF reduced the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol problems compared to the control condition. No differences were found between the brief intervention and the brief intervention with PNF. Also, treating eight students with brief intervention and 10 with brief intervention with PNF was necessary to benefit one student. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that brief intervention reduces alcohol consumption among Latin American university students and that PNF might not be an active ingredient of its effectiveness in this population. However, PNF could benefit students with specific characteristics, like those who overestimate their peers´ drinking, highlighting the need to study moderators of effectiveness further.