Examining the Role of Executive Functions on the Intention–Behavior Gap of Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategy Use
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21646465 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Becky K Gius (0000-0002-7052-1317, Neuropsychology Department, University of New Mexico Hospitals, corresponding author), Jared Davis (0000-0001-6638-0956, University of South Florida), Jared A Davis (0000-0002-7076-8133, University of South Florida), Robert C Schlauch (0000-0002-7743-1111, University of South Florida), Robert Schlauch (University of South Florida) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 168-178 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Substance Use & Misuse (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1082-6084 • E-ISSN: 1532-2491 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10826084.2025.2548316 |
| PMID | 40953180 |
| OpenAlex | W4414263809 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 68 |
Introduction Alcohol protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are health behaviors that minimize the likelihood or severity of consequences associated with alcohol use; however, these strategies are inconsistently used. One potential explanation for this lack of consistent use is a discrepancy between the intention to drink safely and actually drinking safely, termed the intention–behavior gap. Some drinkers have the intention to drink safely but lack the ability to effectively initiate and execute the harm reduction behaviors. As such, executive functions (EF: cognitive abilities associated with goal-directed behavior) may be one individual difference factor that helps identify for whom these “gaps” are greater or smaller.Materials and methods Using ecological momentary assessment, this study explored the extent to which an intention–behavior gap in PBS use exists among college student drinkers (n = 77) and investigated how potential individual differences in EF (i.e., working memory, set-shifting, and inhibition) moderated the intention-behavior gap. Daily monitoring assessments contained brief measures of intention to use PBS, actual strategy use, and alcohol-related behaviors, and were assessed daily for 21 days.Results Multilevel model analyses revealed that although intention to use strategies predicted actual strategy use, measures of EF did not significantly moderate the relationship.Discussion Efforts to increase intentions to use PBS should be included in alcohol use prevention and intervention programs for all drinkers, regardless of differences in EF ability
Alcohol · Cognition · Executive dysfunction · Executive functions · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Gambling Behavior and Treatments · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in studies of substance use.
Costs of a predictible switch between simple cognitive tasks.
Strategies for analyzing ecological momentary assessment data.
The Nature and Organization of Individual Differences in Executive Functions
Understanding and estimating the power to detect cross-level interaction effects in multilevel modeling.
A Comparison of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Reasoned Action
Development of the Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey.
Understanding the intention-behavior gap
PsyToolkit
PsyToolkit
Working memory span tasks
Use of alcohol protective behavioral strategies among college students
A review and analysis of the use of ‘habit’ in understanding, predicting and influencing health-related behaviour
Temporal self-regulation theory
A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface.
Age differences in short-term retention of rapidly changing information.
The theory of planned behavior
Ecological Momentary Assessment
Statistical Power Analysis
Factors Associated with Engagement in Protective Behavioral Strategies among Adult Drinkers
The impact of neurobehavioral features on medication adherence in HIV
Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect
Intention—Behavior Relations
Individual differences in executive function predict distinct eating behaviours
The Unity and Diversity of Executive Functions and Their Contributions to Complex “Frontal Lobe” Tasks
What have we been priming all these years? On the development, mechanisms, and ecology of nonconscious social behavior
Does changing behavioral intentions engender behavior change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence
On inhibition/disinhibition in developmental psychopathology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |