Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Vol 38(8), Dec 2024, 836-849; doi:10.1037/adb0000989
Objective: Theory and evidence indicate that affirming the value of the self before exposure to a threatening message fosters more open-minded appraisal of message content. We predicted that college students mandated to a computer-delivered personalized feedback intervention (PFI) and who engaged in a self-affirmation (SA) exercise would demonstrate reduce drinking and consequences relative to those who received an attention control. Method: Participants were 484 undergraduates (age 18–24, 56% male, 78% White) mandated to participate in an alcohol intervention following a first-time alcohol policy violation. After a baseline assessment, each was randomized to SA (n = 256) or attention control (n = 227) prior to a computer-delivered PFI intervention. Posttest measures included an affirmation manipulation check; primary outcomes (past month weekly quantity, peak drinks, binge frequency, consequences) were assessed at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-ups. We used latent growth curve modeling to test study hypotheses. Results: The SA exercise increased positive self-evaluation at posttest (p p