Brief alcohol interventions for adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Forfatter(e)

Tanner-Smith, E. E. Lipsey, M. W.

År

2015

DOI

10.1016/j.jsat.2014.09.001

Tidsskrift

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

Sider

1-18

Kategori(er)

Rus (alkohol, illegale rusmidler)

Tiltakstype(r)

Abstract

This study reports findings from a meta-analysis summarizing the effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions for adolescents (age 11-18) and young adults (age 19-30).

We identified 185 eligible study samples using a comprehensive literature search and synthesized findings using random-effects meta-analyses with robust standard errors. Overall, brief alcohol interventions led to significant reductions in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems among adolescents (g = 0.27 and g = 0.19) and young adults (g = 0.17 and g = 0.11).

These effects persisted for up to 1 year after intervention and did not vary across participant demographics, intervention length, or intervention format. However, certain intervention modalities (e.g., motivational interviewing) and components (e.g., decisional balance, goal-setting exercises) were associated with larger effects.

We conclude that brief alcohol interventions yield beneficial effects on alcohol-related outcomes for adolescents and young adults that are modest but potentially worthwhile given their brevity and low cost.