Ninth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Lower education level is linked to higher mortality rates, poorer consequences for problem drinkers (Makes et al., 2003), and drinking excessiveness in men (Van Oers et a., 1999). Education level has also been linked to different reported levels of self-efficacy (Coleman & Karraker, 2000; Clark & Dodge, 1999). Self-efficacy and motivation have both been found to be significant predictors of decreased drinking over trials and follow-ups (Morgenstern et al., 2016). This study investigated whether education level moderates the relationship between self-efficacy and drinking outcome behavior in a sample of 96 participants engaged in an RCT of Motivational Interviewing for problem drinkers. We predicted that as the level of education increases, the negative relationship between self-efficacy and drinking outcomes increases. Moderation analyses were run on 139 problem drinkers involved in an RCT where participants either received Motivational Interviewing (MI), Spirit-only Motivational Interviewing (SOMI), or Self-Change (SC). Majority of participants have a completed bachelor’s degree (n=51, 36.6%), or graduate degree (n=36, 25.9%). After controlling for baseline drinking and alcohol dependency, Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE; Zeger & Liang, 1986; Zeger, Liang, & Albert, 1988) found self-efficacy to significantly predict changes in the sum of standard drinks per week (SSD) (Wald Chi-Square=3.43, df=12; p=.000). While still controlling for baseline drinking and alcohol dependency, education was found to significantly moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and SSD (Wald Chi-Square=10.80, df=3; p=.01). These results from this sample of problem drinkers support the hypothesis that education level is a significant moderator between self-efficacy and drinking outcomes per week.