Results of a social norm intervention to prevent binge drinking among first-year residential college students

The effects of a primary prevention social norm intervention on binge drink ing among Ist-year residential college students were examined. Six hundred thirty-four students attending a medium-sized public university in the Sout h were randomly assigned to receive a two-phase social norm intervention or the standard campus psychoeducational prevention program. At posttest, no differences were found between intervention and control group students on a ny of the alcohol use and alcohol-use risk factor measures. Significant sub group differences were found by stage of initiating binge drinking behavior s, for frequency of alcohol use, F(3, 507) = 3.69, p =.01; quantity of alco hol use, F(3, 507)= 2.51, p =.05; and social norms, F(3, 505)= 2.53, p =.05 . These findings suggest the need for tailoring social norm binge drinking interventions to students' stage of initiating heavy drinking and carefully monitoring for potential negative, as well as positive, effects of norm-ba sed prevention messages.