Cannabis use is popular among those aged 19-25 and has been linked to many negative outcomes including increased impulsivity and increased risky behaviors. This study looked at implementing an electronic screening and brief intervention for graduate student cannabis users. The second goal was to estimate the effect of an electronic screening and brief intervention (eSBI).

Participants for this study included graduate students who had reported cannabis use within the previous 90 days. After a brief screening for eligibility, students were put in either a “Control” condition which had no feedback on cannabis use or “eCHECKUPTOGO-cannabis+ booster intervention which provided feedback on use. After a baseline assessment, participants were contacted at three and six months to complete electronic assessments. The assessments included questions about cannabis use disorder, frequency of cannabis use, cannabis-related consequences, readiness to change, and perceived cannabis norms. Participants in the control group received no feedback on answers to cannabis use and those in the booster intervention group received personalized feedback surrounding their cannabis use.

The final sample included 49 participants with an average age of 25. Results showed that the intervention did influence participants 6-month cannabis use. The effect was small to medium for reducing cannabis use frequency. The data did not show that the intervention had any significant effect on cannabis-related consequences. Overall, this study showed preliminary results that showed that an eSBI may help to reduce frequency of cannabis use among graduate students. The researchers do mention that a larger-scale study should be completed to establish efficacy of this intervention approach.

Take Away: The current study looked at implementing an electronic screening and brief intervention for graduate student cannabis users. The final study included 49 participants who were either put into a control group or a group receiving personalized feedback based on their cannabis use. There was a baseline assessment followed by an assessment at three and six months. Results showed that the personalized intervention showed a small to medium effect on reducing cannabis use frequency, but no effect on cannabis related consequences. Overall, this study showed preliminary results that showed that an eSBI may help to reduce frequency of cannabis use among graduate students.

Goodness, T. M., & Palfai, T. P. (2020). Electronic screening and brief intervention to reduce cannabis use and consequences among graduate students presenting to a student health center: A pilot study. Addictive Behaviors, 106, 106362. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106362