Disorders - Alcohol Use
Monti, P. M., Colby, S. M., Barnett, N. P., Spirito, A., Rohsenow, D. J., Myers, M., Woolard, R., Lewander, W.
This study evaluated the use of a brief motivational interview (MI) to reduce alcohol-related consequences and use among adolescents treated in an emergency room (ER) following an alcohol-related event. Patients aged 18 to 19 years (N = 94) were randomly assigned to receive either MI or standard care (SC). Assessment and intervention were conducted in the ER during or after the patient's treatment. Follow-up assessments showed that patients who received the MI had a significantly lower incidence of drinking and driving, traffic violations, alcohol-related injuries, and alcohol-related problems than patients who received SC. Both conditions showed reduced alcohol consumption. The harm-reduction focus of the MI was evident in that MI reduced negative outcomes related to drinking, beyond what was produced by the precipitating event plus SC alone.
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 67(6) : 989-94
- Year: 1999
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Motivational interviewing, includes Motivational Enhancing Therapy
Davidson, Dena, Palfai, Tibor, Bird, Chris, Swift, Robert
Investigated the mechanisms underlying the suppressant effects of naltrexone (NTX) on ad libitum alcohol drinking in 51 heavy beer drinkers (aged 21-29 yrs). Ss received 50 mg of NTX or placebo on 2 separate occasions in a randomized, double-blind crossover protocol. After 7 days of taking medication, Ss were provided with the opportunity to consume beer ad libitum during 2 90-min test sessions held 1-2 wks apart. Less beer was consumed during NTX treatment. NTX decreased urges to consume alcohol. NTX-treated Ss also took significantly longer to finish each glass of beer and were more likely to terminate beer drinking early. Self-report stimulation and ratings of positive mood states were lower during NTX treatment. Negative side effects of NTX, such as nausea and headache, were reported. Results suggest that NTX affects a number of the components of alcohol drinking sequence, including lowering cravings, decreasing the positive reinforcing effects of alcohol, and increasing headache and nausea, each of which may contribute to reducing alcohol intake. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 23(2) : 195-203
- Year: 1999
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Medications used to treat substance abuse
Maggs, Jennifer L., Schulenberg, John
Hierarchical linear models examined the success of the school-based Alcohol Misuse Prevention Study (AMPS) in altering normative trajectories of alcohol use, alcohol misuse, reasons to drink, and reasons not to drink across early to middle adolescence. The AMPS curriculum emphasized acquiring refusal skills, understanding normative pressures to drink, and learning about the negative effects of alcohol misuse. A randomized pre-post experimental control design was used. In this study, longitudinal data from 971 students (Level 2) across 5 occasions between 6th and 10th grade provided 4,178 person-time cases (Level 1). The significant main effect of the AMPS curriculum was moderated by prior drinking experience. Among prior unsupervised drinkers, exposure to AMPS was associated with a reduced rate of increase in alcohol misuse and a reduced rate of decrease in reasons not to drink across adolescence. A significant indirect effect of AMPS on alcohol misuse was observed through reasons not to drink for prior unsupervised drinkers. The discussion focuses on implications of motivational factors for prevention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract).
Applied Developmental Science, 2(1) : 48-60
- Year: 1998
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation, Skills training
Marlatt, G. A., Baer, J. S., Kivlahan, D. R., Dimeff, L. A., Larimer, M. E., Quigley, L. A., Somers, J. M., et-al
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of a brief intervention designed to reduce the harmful consequences of heavy drinking among high-risk college students. Students screened for risk while in their senior year of high school (188 women and 160 men) were randomly assigned to receive an individualized motivational brief intervention in their freshman year of college or to a no-treatment control condition. A normative group selected from the entire screening pool provided a natural history comparison. Follow-up assessments over a 2-year period showed significant reductions in both drinking rates and harmful consequences, favoring students receiving the intervention. Although high-risk students continued to experience more alcohol problems than the natural history comparison group over the 2-year period, most showed a decline in problems over time, suggesting a developmental maturational effect.
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 66(4) : 604-615
- Year: 1998
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Motivational interviewing, includes Motivational Enhancing Therapy
Woodside, M., Bishop, R. M., Miller, L. T., Swisher, J. D.
A program titled "The Images Within" was implemented and evaluated in three sites on the east coast of the United States. This school curriculum uses art work developed by children of alcoholics to stimulate classroom discussions of the problems of parental alcohol abuse. The evaluation with 278 experimental and 310 control students indicated increased knowledge about the effects of alcohol and improved skills in coping with alcohol problems and help seeking behavior. Process data indicated that related programs were initiated, students were stimulated by the program and teachers were positive in their perceptions of the program. Schools implementing this program need to have developed referral networks to handle the individual concerns that are expressed as a result of participation in "The Images Within."
Journal of Drug Education, 27(1) : 53-65
- Year: 1997
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation
Foxcroft, D. R., Lister-Sharp, D., Lowe, G.
In a systematic review we assessed the methodological quality of evaluations of alcohol misuse prevention programmes for young people, and recorded evidence of effectiveness. Studies were identified through systematic searches of electronic databases; hand searches of all obtained papers, existing reviews and several journals; and mailshots to key organizations, conferences and individuals. Relevant papers were checked and cross-checked by members of the review team, and only those studies with an experimental or quasi-experimental design and positive attributes on a number of other quality criteria were included in the review. After pre-screening over 500 papers which reported prevention programmes, information was systematically abstracted from 155 papers. Only 33 studies merited inclusion in the review, and most of these had some methodological shortcomings. Twenty-one studies reported some significant short- and medium-term reductions in drinking behaviour. Of two studies which carried out longer-term evaluations, only one reported a significant longer-term effect, with small effect sizes. No factors clearly distinguished partially effective from ineffective or harmful prevention programmes. In conclusion, the lack of reliable evidence means that no one type of prevention programme can be recommended. In particular there is a need to carry out well-designed scientific evaluations of the effectiveness of current or new prevention efforts which target young people's alcohol misuse. [References: 45]
Addiction, 92(5) : 531-7
- Year: 1997
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
Botvin, Gilbert J., Schinke, Steven P., Epstein, Jennifer A., Diaz, Tracy
Tested the effectiveness of 2 alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs among 639 inner-city minority 7th-grade students in New York City. Ss were randomly assigned to receive (1) a generic skills training prevention approach, (2) a culturally focused prevention approach, or (3) an information-only control. Results indicate that Ss in both prevention approaches had lower intentions to drink beer or wine in the future relative to Ss in the control group. The generic skills training approach also showed promise in terms of intention to drink hard liquor and use illicit drugs. Both prevention programs influenced several mediating variables in a direction consistent with nondrug use. Results provide preliminary support for the 2 approaches with respect to alcohol and drug use prevention among minority youths in New York City. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 8(2) : 116-127
- Year: 1994
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Skills training
Wilhelmsen, Britt Unni, Laberg, Jon Christian, Klepp, Knut-Inge
Evaluated 2 versions of a school-based alcohol prevention program for 7th-grade students against a non-treated comparison condition. Both program versions were based on a social-cognitive theory approach to alcohol prevention, and differed in the level of role-specifications for participating teachers and peer leaders. 12 schools with 955 students in Bergen, Norway, participated in the study. Four schools were randomly assigned to each of the 3 conditions, and the program was implemented during 10 class periods over 2 mo in 1992. Pre- and posttest surveys were conducted, assessing alcohol use, as well as cognitive variables related to alcohol use in a specific context (intentions, attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy expectations). Results showed that the highly role-specified (HRS) version had a higher degree of student involvement than the less role-specified version, indicating that the HRS program was more successful in engaging students in alcohol prevention activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).
Addiction, 89(9) : 1157-1165
- Year: 1994
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation
Baer, John S., Marlatt, G., Kivlahan, Daniel R., Fromme, Kim, Larimer, Mary E., Williams, Ellen
Tested 3 forms of alcohol risk reduction programming for young adults. Volunteers were randomly assigned to receive a 6-wk class and discussion group, a 6-unit self-help manual, or a single 1-hr feedback and advice session with professional staff. Results reveal significant reductions in self-reported drinking at the end of the intervention phase and maintenance of drinking changes throughout a 2-yr follow-up period. Comparable drinking reductions were rated across treatments; however, noncompliance with the self-help reading program suggested limited utility. Treatment response was related to S age, as Ss showed increased drinking during the year they reached legal drinking status. The efficacy of brief motivational interventions and client matching in prevention programs is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 60(6) : 974-979
- Year: 1992
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions, Personalised feedback, normative feedback
, Self-help
Kivlahan, D. R., Marlatt, G. A., Fromme, K., Coppel, D. B., Williams, E.
This study evaluated secondary prevention approaches for young adults (N = 36, mean age 23 years) at risk for alcohol problems. Subjects were randomly assigned to cognitive-behavioral alcohol skills training, a didactic alcohol information program, or assessment only. The skills program included training in blood alcohol level estimation, limit setting, and relapse prevention skills. All subjects maintained daily drinking records during the 8-week intervention and for 1 week at each follow-up. Repeated measures MANOVA found a significant reduction over 1-year follow-up in self-reported alcohol consumption for the total sample. For all drinking measures, the directional findings consistently favored skills training. Despite overall reductions, most subjects continued to report occasional heavy drinking.
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 58(6) : 805-10
- Year: 1990
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation, Skills training
Dielman, T. E., Shope, J. T., Leech, S. L., Butchart, A. T.
An elementary school social skills/peer pressure resistance curriculum for the prevention of alcohol misuse was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Schools were randomly assigned to curriculum and control groups, with half of each group pretested prior to intervention and all students posttested two months, 14 months, and 26 months following intervention. Students in grade five at the beginning of the study were randomly assigned to treatment, treatment plus booster, and control conditions. Students in grade six were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Three way repeated measures analyses of covariance (treatment condition by type of prior drinking experience by occasion) were conducted for each grade level on indices of "frequency/quantity of alcohol use" and "total alcohol misuse." Results indicated the intervention was effective in reducing the rate of increase of alcohol use and misuse among grade six students who entered the study with prior unsupervised as well as supervised alcohol use. After corrections for intraclass correlations on the dependent variables, the significant finding regarding the alcohol misuse variable was maintained.
Journal of School Health, 59(6) : 255-63
- Year: 1989
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Skills training
Perry, C. L., Grant, M., Ernberg, G., Florenzano, R. U., Langdon, M. C., Myeni, A. D., Waahlberg, R., et-al
In 1985 the Division of Mental Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, convened a group of investigators from centers in four countries--Australia, Chile, Norway, Swaziland--to participate in a pilot study on the efficacy of school-based alcohol education. The goal of the educational program was to delay onset and minimize involvement of alcohol use among 13- to 14-year-old adolescents. Twenty-five schools in the four countries, representing middle- and lower-class populations, were randomly assigned to peer-led education, teacher-led education, or a control condition. The educational program was derived from social-psychological theory and etiological research on adolescent alcohol use. The program focused on the social and environmental influences to drink alcohol and skills to resist those influences. It consisted of five lessons over 2 months. Baseline and posttest data measured alcohol use knowledge, attitudes, skills, and friends' drinking patterns. Data were collected immediately prior to and 2 months following the educational program. The data converge on the finding that peer-led education appears to be efficacious in reducing alcohol use across a variety of settings and cultures.
International Journal of the Addictions, 24(12) : 1145-71
- Year: 1989
- Problem: Alcohol Use
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation, Skills training