Assessment reactivity: A randomized controlled trial of alcohol-specific measures on alcohol-related behaviors

•Minimal assessment of drinking quantity/frequency may result in assessment reactivity.•College students decreased risky drinking, but not drinks per week or consequences.•Assessment measures do not appear to impact reactivity differentially.•Assessment itself may serve as a brief intervention in student/health care settings.

IntroductionCompletion of alcohol assessments influences treatment outcomes, yet little is known about the aspects of assessment that may contribute to this response. The present study is a randomized controlled trial examining how the themes of alcohol assessments (e.g., assessment of alcohol-related consequences as opposed to drinking patterns) may affect drinking behaviors.MethodsUndergraduate students (N = 290, Mage = 19.97, SDage = 1.81, 61.7% female), reporting at least one binge drinking episode during the past month, completed one of five baseline assessment batteries that varied thematically: (a) Control (e.g., minimal drinking quantity and frequency questions), (b) Consequences (e.g., College Alcohol Problems Scale; CAPS-r), (c) Norms (e.g., Drinking Norms Rating Form), (d) Diagnostic (e.g., Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), and (e) Combined (all themes). Participants completed a one-month follow-up of drinking quantity/frequency and the CAPS-r.ResultsAll groups decreased their self-reported peak drinks consumed (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.05) and past month frequency of drinking (p = 0.002, ηp2 = 0.03; except for the consequences group) from baseline to follow-up. There were no between-group differences. No changes emerged in drinks per week (p = 0.09, ηp2 = 0.01) or alcohol-related consequences (p = 0.06, ηp2 = 0.03) from baseline to follow-up.ConclusionMinimal assessment of drinking quantity and frequency may result in assessment reactivity. Reductions in markers of risky drinking behaviors did not differ as a function of the type of assessments completed (e.g., Consequences vs Diagnostic). Continued research is needed to determine what other important variables (e.g., treatment seeking) may affect assessment reactivity.