'Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG)'
Abstract
Decreases in alcohol consumptions have been linked to the use of protective behavioral strategies
(PBS) a number of times (Arterberry et al., 2014; Kenny et al., 2014; & Braitman et al., 2014). Trait
mindfulness has been researched looking for a link in substance use treatment. Promising results
have been found (Grow et al., 2015; Vinci et al., 2014) that have led to the creation of treatment
modalities such as Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (Bowen, Charla, Marlatt, 2010). The
present study investigates the relation between PBS, mindfulness, and negative outcomes due to
alcohol consumption. The participants are part of a larger study (N = 3,352) investigating a brief
online alcohol use intervention amongWashington state (n = 1,181) and Swedish high school
seniors (n = 2,171). Data was collected at a six-month follow-up via an online survey. Participants
completed the 15-item Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale that measures PBS with responses
ranging from 1-Never to 6-Always (PBSS; Martens et al., 2007); a 12-item trait mindfulness measure
with responses ranging from1-Rarely/Not at all to 4-Almost always (Cognitive and AffectiveMindfulness
Scale Revised; Feldman et al., 2007); and the Young Adult Alcohol Problem Screening Test
(Hurlbut & Sher, 1992), which measures social and personal problems related to drinking. A regression
analysis was performed to assess the relationship between the measures. Significant main
effects were found for PBS (p < 0.001) and mindfulness (p < 0.01) on negative consequences of
alcohol use. However, there was no moderating effect of mindfulness on the relation between PBS
and negative effects of alcohol (p = 0.10). Results support past research on the impact of mindfulness
on negative effects of alcohol. Results regarding PBS were not consistent with past literature
regarding their impact on decreasing negative effects of alcohol. This may be attributed to a relationship
between those individuals using PBS and the amount of negative drinking consequences they
already experience. There was not enough evidence to suggest amoderating effect ofmindfulness
as a factor that would further decrease negative alcohol effects. Future research could investigate
whether a treatment designed to increase the effectiveness of PBS through increased mindfulness
is a suitable intervention. This research was supported by NIAAA # 5R01AA018276 awarded to Drs.
Larimer & Berglund