The extent and impact of alcohol use in the screen industry is the subject of a new online study launched through the University of Melbourne, in partnership with social enterprise Screen Well.
The CheckmyControl research project aims to investigate whether differences in cognition and effect are related to alcohol use/misuse, as well as determine if these factors predict change in alcohol use over time, and consider whether feedback about cognition, affect, or intake level influences subsequent alcohol use.
To participate in the study, respondents must complete a baseline online survey, download an app to their smartphone to record alcohol use for up to 14 days, and then complete a cognitive task. When the assessment period is finished, they may receive some feedback via email and be asked to complete a feedback questionnaire, before being contacted via email to repeat some of the assessments about 12 weeks later. They may also be contacted to repeat some of the assessments later in a long-term follow-up.
The survey is open to Australian residents who work or are pursuing work in the Australian screen industry.
Conducted by members of the Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, it represents the next step in a program of research that led to the publication of a pilot study last year, the results of which showed individuals who drank above recommended limits reduced their total alcohol intake by 32-35 per cent.
University of Melbourne researcher Antoinette Poulton told IF a chance meeting with Screen Well founder Ben Steel last year prompted a screen industry adaptation.
“My sister runs a management company within the creative and performing arts industries and last year when we were looking at moving from the pilot stage to a community-based stage, I reached out to all my contacts, including her, to ask if they knew companies and organisations working in the mental health space that might be interested in coming on board as a partner,” she said.
“She put me in contact with Ben and it all went on from there.”
According to Poulton, CheckmyControl builds on 2015’s Australian Actors’ Wellbeing Study, which found that of the respondents, 43 per cent of males and 36 per cent of females reported using alcohol at levels that placed them at moderate risk of harm or above while 287 respondents reported “using alcohol in response to problems related to their work as a performer”.
“The study found actors experience a high level of stress and have inconsistent and unusual work demands often placed on them, which can create anxiety issues,” Poulton said.
“At the time, the actors in that study, as well as people more broadly in the entertainment industry, were really showing up as having some significant mental health issues relating to sleep, drug and alcohol use and relying on prescribed, over-the-counter, and other illicit substances.
“We have incorporated some questions in this study for the screen industry that will allow us to look at any differences between the studies done eight or nine years ago.
Steel said the research stood out because of its potential to contribute to reduced alcohol consumption.,
“We are particularly excited to partner with the University of Melbourne on this project because it has an alcohol reduction intervention in-built, so it’s more than just about capturing data on alcohol use in the screen industry,” he said.
“It’s about seeing if the unique intervention helps reduce consumption, and this distinction really excites us for its potential positive impact.”
The CheckmyControl study is made possible from a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council Medical Research Future Fund. Find out more information about how to participate here.