Citation

Monti PM, Colby SM, Mastroleo NR, Barnett NP, Gwaltney CJ, Apodaca TR, Rohsenow DJ, Magill M, Gogineni A, Mello MJ, Biffl WL, Cioffi WG. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 2014; 82(6): 936-948.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0037658

PMID

25111430

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Effects of brief motivational interventions (BMIs) for heavy drinkers identified by alcohol-related emergency department (ED) visits are mixed. The successes of including significant others (SOs) in behavioral treatment suggest that involving SOs in ED-delivered BMI might prove beneficial. This study investigated the relative efficacy of an SO-enhanced motivational intervention (SOMI) compared with an individual motivational intervention (IMI) to address heavy drinking in emergency care settings.

METHOD: ED (n = 317) or trauma unit (n = 89) patients were randomly assigned to receive either an IMI or an SOMI and were reassessed at 6 and 12 months for alcohol consumption, alcohol-related consequences, and perceived alcohol-specific SO support.

RESULTS: Generalized estimating equation analyses showed consistent reductions over time for both alcohol consumption and consequences. At 1-year follow-up, the average reduction in total drinks consumed per week was greater for patients in the SOMI condition than the IMI condition. In SOMI, 9.4% more patients moved to within the national guidelines for weekly drinking than did IMI patients. Frequency of heavy drinking and negative alcohol consequences showed no differential effects of intervention.

CONCLUSIONS: Emergence of a modest treatment effect at 12 months suggests that SO involvement in the SOMI condition may have led to more sustained positive influence on patient drinking than in the IMI condition. Implications and limitations regarding SO involvement in brief treatment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Language: en