Brief Alcohol Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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-effe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of substance abuse treatment Vol. 51; pp. 1 - 18
Main Authors Tanner-Smith, Emily E., Ph.D, Lipsey, Mark W., Ph.D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2015
Elsevier Limited
Subjects
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol Drinking - prevention & control
Alcohol use
Alcohol-Related Disorders - rehabilitation
Brief alcohol intervention
Child
Drinking Behavior
Humans
Intervention
Interviews
Meta-analysis
Motivation
Motivational Interviewing - methods
Psychiatry
Psychotherapy, Brief - methods
Substance abuse treatment
Systematic review
Teenagers
Young Adult
Young Adults
Systematic review
Brief alcohol intervention
Young adults
Adolescents
Meta-analysis
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Summary: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.
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ISSN:0740-5472
1873-6483
DOI:10.1016/j.jsat.2014.09.001