Mental contrasting with implementation intentions reduces drinking when drinking is hazardous: an online self-regulation intervention
Open accessAbstract
Introduction. Drinking alcohol has detrimental health consequences, and effective interventions to reduce hazardous drinking are needed. The self-regulation intervention of Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) promotes behavior change across a variety of health behaviors. In this study, we tested if online delivery of MCII reduced hazardous drinking in people who were worried about their drinking. Method. Participants ( N = 200, female = 107) were recruited online. They were randomized to learn MCII or solve simple math problems (control). Results. Immediately after the intervention, participants in the MCII condition (vs. control) reported an increased commitment to reduce drinking. After 1 month, they reported having taken action measured by the Readiness to Change drinking scale. When drinking was hazardous (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test ≥ 8, n = 85), participants in the MCII condition indicated a decreased number of drinking days, exp(β) = 0.47, CI (confidence interval) [−1.322, −.207], p = .02, and drinks per week, exp(β) = 0.57, CI [0.94, 5.514], p = .007, compared with the control condition. Discussion. These findings demonstrate that a brief, self-guided online intervention ( Mdn = 28 minutes) can reduce drinking in people who worry about their drinking. Our findings show a higher impact in people at risk for hazardous drinking. Conclusion. MCII is scalable as an online intervention. Future studies should test the cost-effectiveness of the intervention in real-world settings.
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Wittleder et al. (2019) found MCII decreased the number of drinking days for people with hazardous drinking behavior but not for people with non-hazardous drinking behavior, compared to control.
“Wittleder et al. (2019) found that MCII decreased the number of drinking days for people with hazardous drinking behavior, but not for people with non-hazardous drinking behavior, compared to the control group.”
From A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions on Goal Attainment (2021) · cites this paper as Wittleder et al. (2019)
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“Wittleder et al. (2019) found that MCII decreased the number of drinking days for people with hazardous drinking behavior, but not for people with non-hazardous drinking behavior, compared to the control group.”
Background
- Authors
- Wittleder, S., Kappes, A., Oettingen, G., Gollwitzer, P. M., Jay, M., & Morgenstern, J.
- Affiliations
- Universität Hamburg (DE)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- University of Konstanz (DE)
- Northwell Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wittleder, Sandra
- ORCID
- Venue
- Health Education & Behavior
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-03-05
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 666-676
- ISSN
- 1090-1981 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6127
- OpenAlex
- W2921688548
- Cited by
- 24
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 4.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- nbn-resolving.de
- Locations
- Health Education & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- City Research Online (City University London) (acceptedVersion)
- KOPS (University of Konstanz) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- mental contrasting with implementation intentions, hazardous drinking, alcohol consumption, self-regulation interventions, online intervention, self-guided intervention, readiness to change, alcoholism, behavior change
- MeSH terms
- Self-Control, Adult, Aged, Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholism, Behavior Therapy, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Therapy, Computer-Assisted, Intention, Young Adult
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