When less is more: Short-Term efficacy of a gamified personalized normative feedback intervention for college students.

Abstract

Despite various intervention efforts, college drinking remains a concern, and while personalized normative feedback (PNF) has proven effective, attempts to deliver it in a way that minimizes reactance and maximizes student engagement have been slow to emerge. This study examined the short-term effects of CampusGandr, a mobile gamified PNF intervention for college students. The game took place over 16 weeks (1 round per week) during the fall semester and included weekly PNF on various topics related to college life, including alcohol. Participants (N = 1,143) were recruited from universities in Texas and California and randomized into one of three conditions: no alcohol feedback (NAF), less alcohol feedback (LAF; delivered in 3 rounds), and more alcohol feedback (MAF; delivered in 6 rounds). Number of alcohol and non-alcohol feedback participants viewed was objectively tracked in CampusGandr. Relative to NAF, there were no significant effects for LAF or MAF on descriptive drinking norms or on drinking (any drinks consumed and typical number of drinks per week consumed) one-month post-intervention. However, a significant quadratic effect emerged between the number of alcohol feedbacks viewed and having consumed any drinks, indicating decreased odds of having consumed any alcohol at the follow-up with up to three alcohol feedbacks. Number of alcohol feedbacks viewed was also related to decreases in norms. Thus, despite a lack of evidence for differences in drinking between conditions, findings suggest future research is needed to explore the optimal dosage and timing of alcohol feedback within gamified interventions like CampusGandr.