This systematic review identifies the psychological variables associated with the use of harm reduction strategies (HRS) among university students who use alcohol or cannabis. The reviewed studies are categorized according to the psychological variables studied and the different analytic approaches used (direct effects, mediation, and moderation). Among the empirical peer-reviewed studies identified (n = 76), most (94.7%) were cross-sectional studies conducted in the US (90.8%) with samples of alcohol-using university students (86.8%). Five categories were identified: mental health, motives/expectancies, personality, social cognition, and self-efficacy. The most studied constructs were motives, anxiety and depression, impulsivity, and social norms. Most studies conducted mediation or moderation analyses including psychological variables, HRS and alcohol outcomes. Social, enhancement and coping motives, impulsivity, and social norms of alcohol use were associated with lower use of HRS, which, in turn, was associated with a higher number of alcohol/cannabis outcomes. The results of moderation studies consistently suggest that HRS use was more protective for students with poor mental health, high impulsivity, and low self-regulation. The synthesis of evidence provided in this review could be useful for guiding future research and informing the design of interventions aimed at promoting the use of HRS among university students who use alcohol and/or cannabis.
Keywords: Harm reduction strategies; alcohol; cannabis; protective behavioral strategies; psychological variables; university students.