Brief intervention for harm reduction with alcohol-positive older adolescents in a hospital emergency department.
This study evaluated the use of a brief motivational interview (MI) to reduce alcohol-related consequences and use among adolescents treated in an emergency room (ER) following an alcohol-related event. Patients aged 18 to 19 years (N = 94) were randomly assigned to receive either MI or standard care (SC). Assessment and intervention were conducted in the ER during or after the patient's treatment. Follow-up assessments showed that patients who received the MI had a significantly lower incidence of drinking and driving, traffic violations, alcohol-related injuries, and alcohol-related problems than patients who received SC. Both conditions showed reduced alcohol consumption. The harm-reduction focus of the MI was evident in that MI reduced negative outcomes related to drinking, beyond what was produced by the precipitating event plus SC alone.
Monti
P M
PM
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Peter_Monti@brown.edu
Colby
S M
SM
Barnett
N P
NP
Spirito
A
A
Rohsenow
D J
DJ
Myers
M
M
Woolard
R
R
Lewander
W
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*