Alcohol Interventions for Greek Letter Organizations

Objective: This meta-analysis examines the efficacy of interventions to reduce alcohol consumption and related problems among college student members of Greek letter organizations. Method: Studies were identified through electronic bibliographic database searches and reviews of reference sections of relevant articles, and studies were included if the study evaluated (a) an individual-level alcohol intervention, (b) sampled fraternity or sorority members, and (c) measured alcohol consumption or problems. Included were 15 studies with 21 separate interventions (n 6,026; 18% women). Independent raters coded sample, design, methodological features, and intervention content. Betweenand within-group weighted mean effect sizes were calculated using random-effects models. Potential moderators, determined a priori, examined variability in effect sizes. Results: Interventions targeting fraternity or sorority members were not successful in reducing alcohol consumption and related problems relative to controls; however, participants in these interventions did reduce the quantity consumed on specific occasions and the frequency of drinking days from preto post-test. Interventions that addressed alcohol expectancies were associated with less alcohol consumption on specific occasions. Interventions that provided moderation strategies and skills-training, identified high-risk situations, or encouraged setting goals were associated with less reduction in the frequency of heavy drinking. Conclusions: Extant alcohol interventions show limited efficacy in reducing consumption and problems among fraternity and sorority members. More robust interventions are needed for use with student members of Greek letter organizations.