# Online Intervention to Prevent Risky Behaviors During College Student Study Abroad Experiences

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2020 · $286,875

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The current project aims to broaden the reach of brief alcohol interventions to young adults at risk for heavy
and problematic alcohol use abroad by testing an online intervention for study abroad students, an at-risk
population currently lacking empirically-supported intervention. Although studying abroad represents an
opportunity for cultural, personal, and academic growth that is experienced by over 304,000 U.S. students
annually, students more than double their alcohol consumption while abroad, experience a host of
consequences that can affect their time abroad and have damaging implications for themselves and their home
institutions, and are at-risk for continued heavy drinking upon return home. Problematic drinking by study
abroad students is a significant and unaddressed problem. Student affairs personnel working with study
abroad students report that heavy drinking abroad is their biggest concern and they identify the lack of
empirically-supported approaches for these students as a major unmet need. With increasing numbers of
students enrolling in study abroad programs each year, and a growing concern about their high-risk behavior,
there is a need to demonstrate support for preventive alcohol misuse programs for these students. Our pilot
work with 343 students at one institution established preliminary efficacy for a personalized normative
feedback (PNF) intervention targeting perceptions of alcohol use by other study abroad peers and local
residents of one’s host country. Yet, heavier drinkers abroad warranted an additional intervention component
based on the unique risks within the specific study abroad environment. In the pilot, students who received
PNF enhanced with sojourner adjustment feedback (SAF) that promoted engagement with the cultural
experience abroad and addressed difficulties adjusting to life in the foreign environment drank less and
experienced fewer alcohol-related consequences abroad. In the proposed randomized controlled trial, we seek
to apply updated research, theory, and feedback from students to enhance our intervention content and
expand the testing of the combined PNF and SAF intervention to 1,200 participants from 35 universities and
colleges in the U.S. We will compare students in the intervention condition to those in a control condition on
drinking, consequences, and sexual risk outcomes, the latter of which are strikingly common among study
abroad students and have the potential for lasting physical and psychological effects upon return home. This
research represents an important step toward preventing problematic drinking for students entering into this
period of known risk. This study has potential for great impact, as we will collaborate with the Forum on
Education Abroad—a collaboration among 800 U.S. and foreign institutions—to disseminate findings and
implement the intervention across multiple institutions in need of empirically-based pre-departure programs.
Methodologies an...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10145931
- **Project number:** 7R01AA025909-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Eric R. Pedersen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $286,875
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10145931

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10145931, Online Intervention to Prevent Risky Behaviors During College Student Study Abroad Experiences (7R01AA025909-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10145931. Licensed CC0.

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