title: Does clinician continuity over two brief motivational sessions improve outcomes in college students?
abstract: Previous research has shown that brief motivational interventions (BMIs) are an effective treatment approach for reducing college student alcohol use and associated negative consequences. The purpose of this study was to determine whether clinician continuity (having the same vs. a different clinician) across an initial BMI and follow-up booster session was related to differences in session satisfaction, self-reported alcohol use, and alcohol-related negative consequences. Participants included 358 undergraduate students who were part of a larger randomized clinical trial. Results revealed no significant differences in alcohol use and associated consequences at follow-up between participants who met with the same versus a different clinician. Clinician continuity was not significantly related to intervention fidelity in terms of BMI-consistent qualities, relevance of information presented, or session satisfaction. These findings suggest that clinician continuity across BMIs for college students is not related to participant satisfaction or intervention effectiveness, especially if the clinicians adhere to empirically supported techniques.
authors.affiliation: Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies Box G-S121-5 Providence, RI 02903, USA. erica_eaton@brown.edu
authors.forename: Erica Eaton
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Short
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borsari
authors.forename: John T P
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hustad
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014495:Universities