Individual and Family Motivational Interventions for Alcohol-Positive Adolescents Treated in an Emergency Department

Abstract

Objective To determine whether a brief individual motivational interview (IMI) plus a family motivational interview (Family Check-Up [FCU]) would reduce alcohol use in adolescents treated in an emergency department after an alcohol-related event more effectively than would an IMI only. Design Two-group randomized design with 3 follow-up time points. Setting An urban regional level I trauma center. Participants Adolescents aged 13 to 17 years (N = 125) with a positive blood alcohol concentration as tested using blood, breath, or saliva. Interventions Either IMI or IMI plus FCU. Main Outcome Measures Drinking frequency (days per month), quantity (drinks per occasion), and frequency of high-volume drinking (≥5 drinks per occasion). Results Both conditions resulted in a reduction in all drinking outcomes at all follow-up points (P < .001 for all), with the strongest effects at 3 and 6 months. Adding the FCU to the IMI resulted in a somewhat better outcome than did the IMI only on high-volume drinking days at 3-month follow-up (14.6% vs 32.1%,P = .048; odds ratio, 2.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-7.75). Conclusions Motivational interventions have a positive effect on drinking outcomes in the short term after an alcohol-related emergency department visit. Adding the FCU to an IMI resulted in somewhat better effects on high-volume drinking at short-term follow-up than did an IMI only. The cost of extra sessions necessary to complete the FCU should be weighed against the potential benefit of reducing high-volume drinking when considering adding the FCU to an IMI for this population. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT 00247221