title: Feasibility of Studying a Brief Intervention to Help Chinese Villagers with Problem Alcohol Use After an Earthquake.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the feasibility of conducting a study of structured brief intervention (BI) for reducing problem alcohol use among individuals who experienced earthquake.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following the Wenchuan earthquake, 1336 clients from 18 local hospitals were invited to complete the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Of those, 239 individuals (AUDIT score of greater than or equal to 7) were included in the study. The participants from intervention village hospitals who were assigned to the BI group (n = 118) received a structured BI lasting 15-30 min plus general health education. The participants from the control village hospitals were assigned to the control group (n = 121) only received general health education. Baseline and post-intervention assessments at 12 weeks were conducted using the AUDIT, Substance Abuse Knowledge Scale (SAKS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and General Well-being Schedule.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 3 months follow-up, the BI group had reduced scores on AUDIT (F = 65.84; P < 0.001) and increased on SAKS (F = 44.45; P < 0.001), but the control group had increased scores on SAS (F = 10.76; P = 0.001) and SDS (F = 18.43; P < 0.001) compared with baseline. BI group showed more decreases for AUDIT scores (group × time effect, F = 34.8; P < 0.001), and had mores increases for SAKS scores (group × time effect, F = 15.7; P < 0.001) compared with control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrated the feasibility of a study of BI in problem alcohol users who experienced traumatic events. Further research need to be done to test the effectiveness of BI over a longer period of time, and provide evidence in support of BI as an effective technique in China.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Ruan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xiaolu
authors.affiliation: Hangzhou Hushu School, 138 Yu Hang Tang Road, Hangzhou 310011, China.
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wenwen
authors.affiliation: DASSA WHO Collaborating Centre for Research into the Treatment of Drug and Alcohol Problems, Department of Pharmacology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Sichuan Mental Health Center, 190 Jian Nan Road, Mianyang, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai 200030, China.|Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai 200030, China.|Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai 200030, China.|Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai 200030, China.|Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Du
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D012424:Rural Population