Readiness to change and post-intervention drinking among Hispanic college students living on the US/Mexico border

Abstract Objective The purpose of the present study was to examine readiness to change as a predictor of post-intervention alcohol consumption among Hispanic college student drinkers taking part in a brief harm reduction intervention. Method Participants of the intervention study were 109 Hispanic college students residing on the US/Mexico border who self-identified as regular drinkers. This manuscript reports findings from a subset of participants who had complete data at 3-month follow-up (N = 84). Participants completed the Readiness to Change Questionnaire, the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and the Form-90 Steady Pattern drinking assessment prior to receiving an intervention. Results Hierarchical least-squares regression was used to predict baseline readiness to change scores from alcohol consumption and related consequences, and then to predict 3-month post-intervention drinking from baseline drinking and readiness to change. Alcohol consumption and consequences significantly predicted readiness to change at baseline, and follow-up drinking was significantly predicted from baseline drinking, readiness to change, and an interaction between the two variables. Findings indicated that readiness to change may function differently in people with varying levels of alcohol involvement. Conclusions Greater readiness to change predicted reduced alcohol consumption only among the heaviest drinkers; among lighter drinkers, greater readiness to change predicted increased alcohol consumption. Possible explanations for this finding are discussed.