title: Motivational interviewing interventions and alcohol abuse among college students: a systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study sought to assess the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI) interventions in reducing alcohol consumption among college students, as compared to no intervention or alternative interventions. It also sought to identify the potential moderators to MI intervention effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Database sources consulted included Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLE, PsycLIT, CINAHL, and MEDLINE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Included studies were (1) underpinned by experimental, quasi-experimental, and nonexperimental designs; (2) studies in which participants were either college males only or females only or both; and (3) studies in which adaptations of MI were based on key MI principles. Excluded studies were (1) non-English language studies; (2) studies not published from 2000-2012; (3) studies in which participants were not college students; (4) studies in which intervention was not delivered by face-to-face approach; and (5) studies that failed to embark on postintervention follow-ups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 115 abstracts were screened. These were narrowed down to 13 studies from which data for the study were extracted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Selected studies were underpinned by experimental, quasi-experimental, and nonexperimental designs. Owing to the heterogeneity in selected studies, a narrative synthesis was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MI interventions were found to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption among college students, when compared to alternative interventions or no intervention. Potential moderators of MI intervention effects were identified to include practitioner's adherence to MI techniques and individual's drinking motives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MI presents itself as a promising tool that can augment the many existing social-environmental strategies of health promotion.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Appiah-Brempong
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Okyere
authors.forename: Ebenezer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Owusu-Addo
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cross
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D062405:Motivational Interviewing / Q000379:methods; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities
keywords: Alcohol; College; Health Promotion; Health focus: alcohol abuse; Manuscript format: literature review; Motivational Interviewing; Setting: school; Strategy: education, behavior change; Students; Target population age: youth; Target population circumstances: college level, all income levels, all developed countries, all races/ethnicities