The overall purpose of this competing renewal application is to continue the development and implementation of research-based prevention and intervention programs for alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency for students in the university setting. Research conducted in the initial phases of grant support has led to the development of effective prevention programs for college students who are at risk for drinking problems. In the present application, it is proposed to further develop an effective secondary prevention program that would reach more students who are at risk and to follow these students throughout a four-period. Study I is a four- year longitudinal study of college drinking among students who are judged to be at risk for alcohol problems on the basis of the following criteria: Family history of alcohol dependence, history of conduct disorder, and/or history of heavy drinking in high school. The entire incoming freshman class at the University of Washington (N = 3,500) will be screened to determine risk prior to entering the University; students judged to be at risk will be randomly assigned to either a minimal-intervention experimental group (N = 200) or an assessment only control group (N = 200). Both groups will be assessed annually and followed for a period of four years. Study II involves an intensive one-year prevention project targeted towards students who drink the most heavily on campus--those who are members of the """"""""Greek"""""""" systems and live in fraternity/sorority houses. The prevention program will attempt to reduce unsafe drinking practices by teaching moderation skills, modifying unrealistic expectations and social norms concerning drinking behavior, and establishing consultation services to promote safe drinking policies. One pair of fraternity and sorority houses will receive the prevention program for a one-year period; a matched pair of fraternity/sorority houses will serve as a comparison group that year and will receive the prevention program in the second year.
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