Bradshaw EL, Sahdra BK, Calvo RA, Mrvaljevich A, Ryan RM. (2018). Users’ intrinsic goals linked to alcohol dependence risk level and engagement with a health promotion website (Hello Sunday Morning): Observational study. JMIR Mental Health. 5(4): e10022. doi: 10.2196/10022
Researchers analyzed relationships between user-identified goals on a health promotion website that aims to improve drinking culture (Hello Sunday Morning; HSM), alcohol consumption, and engagement with HSM. Users on HSM are encouraged to engage in a 3-month period of abstinence and can identify and track goals.Users can select goals from a list of potential goals or write their own. Users complete weekly assessments of alcohol use that are used to categorize users by risk for alcohol dependence. Researchers analyzed data about alcohol consumption, site engagement (i.e. activities completed on the site), and goal identification from 1,117 HSM users. Researchers sorted user-identified goals into 7 categories: money-related (5 goals, 285 endorsements), image-related (2 goals, 614 endorsements), personal growth-related (15 goals, 893 endorsements), relationship-related (11 goals, 550 endorsements), community-related (3 goals, 19 endorsements), physical health-related (13 goals, 1869 endorsements), and alcohol-related (29 goals, 1907 endorsements). Based on self-determination theory, researchers hypothesized that participants endorsing goals related to money, fame, and image (i.e. extrinsic goals) may report higher risk for alcohol dependence and lower engagement with HSM, but participants endorsing goals related to growth, relationship, community, and health (i.e. intrinsic goals) may report lower risk for alcohol dependence and higher engagement with HSM. Endorsement of money-related, personal growth-related, relationships-related, and alcohol-related goals was significantly related to higher risk for alcohol dependence. Endorsement of relationship-related and community-related goals were related to increased engagement with HSM. Users with higher risk for alcohol dependence engaged with HSM significantly less.