A national survey of alcohol prevention programs on college campuses

As alcohol-related incidents and tragedies continue to be a major concern on college campuses, researchers and college counseling center directors struggle to find the most effective alcohol prevention programs Several theories have been adapted to form the foundation of prevention programs. These programs have then been evaluated to discover which results in the highest efficacy for the largest population. College counseling directors were asked to complete a questionnaire that sought to ascertain what prevention programs their college counseling centers provide, what constructs influence the program choice, and what systemic considerations are made in implementing a certain program It was hypothesized that the majority of campuses are utilizing programs based on social norming theory (a theory that believes showing realities of peer behavior will create behavior change), despite current research suggesting that programs using motivational interviewing (a theory that believes increasing one's self created motivation for change based on self identified reasons creates change in behavior) techniques and theory have been effective in decreasing risky alcohol consumption and behavior. Due to results indicating that the survey used was unable to differentiate between the two theoretical factors, this hypothesis was unable to be answered. However, significant differences of prevention program characteristics were shown between private and public schools. Additionally, results indicated that availability of resources strongly influences decision of program development and implementation.