Benjamin C. Riordan

Increasing resilience in adolescents: the importance of social connectedness in adventure education programmes

Objective: Mental health problems are a leading cause of health-related disability during adolescence. The objectives of the current study were to investigate whether participating in an adventure education programme (AEP) increased adolescents’ resilience and elucidate how social connectedness contributes to any increase. Method: Adolescents who participated in the AEP had their resilience measured on the first (Time 1) and last day (Time 2) of a 10-day voyage. Perceived social support and sense of belonging were also measured at Time 2. A control group of adolescents, who did not take part in the voyage, also had their resilience assessed at two time points, 10 days apart. Result: Adolescents who participated in the AEP, but not those in the control group, displayed an increase in resilience from Time 1 to Time 2. Further, the increase in resilience was related to the adolescents’ sense of belonging, and this effect held when controlling for perceived social support. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the positive impact AEPs have on adolescents’ resilience and a mechanism through which this occurs.

A text message intervention to reduce first year university students’ alcohol use: A pilot experimental study

Objective The aim of Orientation Week is to help new students acclimatize to university life. However, Orientation Week is characterized by heavy alcohol use and during this time students may develop drinking patterns that persist into the academic year. The aim of the current study was to refine a brief Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) and test its effectiveness in reducing students’ alcohol use during both Orientation Week and throughout the academic year. Method We conducted two focus groups with students who had received a pilot intervention. We then updated and trialled the intervention with students from two residential colleges (College 1 n = 117 and College 2 n = 269) who were assigned to either an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) condition or an EMA-EMI condition. Students in both conditions reported their pre-university drinking and their drinking during Orientation Week and the academic year via text message. In addition to the EMA messages, during Orientation Week, participants in the EMA-EMI condition received messages highlighting the potential social consequences of heavy alcohol use. Results In College 1 those in the EMA-EMI condition consumed fewer drinks, relative to those in the EMA condition, across both Orientation Week (9.7 vs. 15.5; t(98) = 2.138, p = .018) and the academic year. (4.3 vs. 6.8; t(98) = 1.788, p = .039). There were, however, no significant differences between conditions in College 2. Conclusion The current findings suggest that EMIs may be successful under certain circumstances and may provide a simple, cost-effective means of intervening.

An intercept study to measure the extent to which New Zealand university students pre-game

Objective: We aimed to quantify the degree to which students pre‐gamed in New Zealand, using self‐report and breathalysers.

The accuracy and promise of personal breathalysers for research: Steps toward a cost-effective reliable measure of alcohol intoxication?

Objective Technology is continuing to shape the way we collect health data, including data on alcohol use. A number of technologies are being developed to objectively measure intoxication ‘in the wild’ without relying on self-report; the most immediate solution may be the use of personal breathalysers. In this study, we aimed to determine whether a cost-effective personal breathalyser would perform in a similar manner to a device used for roadside breath testing. Method We intercepted young adults (n = 337; 45% men) outside three concerts, administered 5-min interviews, and asked for breath samples on two devices (a personal breathalyser and a police-grade breathalyser). Results Participants reported having consumed an average of 7.3 standard drinks before the interview and had a mean Blood Alcohol Content of 0.077 g/dl on the police-grade device and 0.085 g/dl on the personal device. Difference scores suggested the personal breathalyser was more likely to over report Blood Alcohol Content (bias = 0.008 g/dl). Conclusion Although the personal device was more likely to over report Blood Alcohol Content compared with the police-grade device, the results suggest that personal devices could be used as a measure of Blood Alcohol Content when collecting data outside of the lab.

Just a First-Year Thing? The Relations between Drinking During Orientation Week and Subsequent Academic Year Drinking Across Class Years

ABSTRACT Background: The goal of Orientation Week is to help new students adjust to university life. However, it is a period when many new students engage in excessive alcohol consumption and where problematic drinking patterns may be established. Objective: The objective is to determine whether returning students drink in a similar manner to students in their first-year of classes and whether Orientation Week drinking predicts semester drinking more strongly for first-year than returning students. Methods: We tested 552 students (18 to 25 years old) in their first, second, or third class year of university. Students reported their Orientation Week drinking and then completed daily drinking diaries for 13 consecutive days during the academic year. Results: Orientation Week drinking was similar across class years and also predicted academic year drinking for students in all class years. Conclusion/Importance: Drinking during Orientation Week is not just a first-year problem and prevention efforts should focus on all students.

Crafting minds and communities with Minecraft

Minecraft is a first-person perspective video game in which players roam freely in a large three-dimensional environment. Players mine the landscape for minerals and use these minerals to create structures ( e.g., houses) and mould the landscape. But can Minecraft be used to craft communities and minds? In this opinion piece, we highlight the enormous potential of Minecraft for fostering social connectedness, collaboration, and its potential as an educational tool. We highlight the recent use of Minecraft to aid socialization in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and promote civic engagement via the United Nations Human Settlement Program. We further provide novel links between Minecraft and recent on work on the role of social cures and community empowerment in enhancing mental health, wellbeing, and resilience.

Sharpen Your Pencils: Preliminary Evidence that Adult Coloring Reduces Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety

Adult coloring books have flooded the market with titles alluding to therapeutic value, yet it is unclear whether they fulfil that promise. Here, we tested whether adult coloring was related to improvements in psychological outcomes. Female university students (n = 104) were randomly assigned to a coloring intervention or a logic-puzzle control group. Participants completed an inventory of psychological measures (depressive symptoms, stress, anxiety, flourishing, resilience, mindfulness) and then participated in a 1-week intervention of either daily coloring or logic-puzzles. Following the intervention, participants again completed the inventory of psychological measures. Coloring participants showed significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety after the intervention, but control participants did not. We conclude that daily coloring can improve some negative psychological outcomes and that it may provide an effective, inexpensive, and highly accessible self-help tool for nonclinical samples.