Severity of baseline alcohol use as a moderator of brief interventions in the emergency department.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines whether the severity of baseline alcohol consumption/consequences moderates the effect of an alcohol brief intervention (BI) in the emergency department (ED).


METHODS
Injured patients (N = 494) were recruited from an ED, randomly assigned to receive brief advice or not and completed a 12-month follow-up interview.


RESULTS
A significant interaction was found between severity of baseline alcohol consumption (i.e. average weekly, binge drinking) and receipt of a BI on alcohol consumption at 12 months. The form of this interaction indicates that the BI group tended to report lower alcohol consumption at follow-up than the untreated group especially in those who had reported high baseline consumption. Severity of alcohol consequences at baseline did not significantly impact the effect of the BI on 12-month outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
ED patients with higher alcohol consumption benefit from BI. In some cases, the BI's effects may be enhanced for patients who are heavier drinkers, perhaps due to a greater opportunity to develop a discrepancy between current behavior and future goals.
Blow
Frederic C
FC
Department of Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA. fredblow@umich.edu
Ilgen
Mark A
MA
Walton
Maureen A
MA
Czyz
Ewa K
EK
McCammon
Ryan
R
Chermack
Stephen T
ST
Cunningham
Rebecca M
RM
Barry
Kristen L
KL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
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