Self-Selected Brief Alcohol Intervention for Adolescents
Condition: Alcohol Consumption; Drug Abuse
MeSH terms: Substance-Related Disorders; Alcohol Drinking
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Alcohol use among youth continues to be a major concern for this nation, with a large
      proportion of adolescents increasing their alcohol consumption as they transition from the
      6th to the 8th grade. Although many adolescents experience alcohol-related problems, few
      actually seek help or treatment. This may be because traditional intervention approaches are
      not well suited for this age group. It is important to understand where adolescents turn to
      when they want to get help. The current project focuses on developing an alcohol intervention
      program for younger adolescents. We will conduct biannual surveys at two middle schools to
      assess alcohol and drug use patterns over three years. In years 2 and 3, we will implement an
      intervention in one of the schools.We will examine whether the intervention has an impact on
      subsequent alcohol use.
    

Detailed description: 
      Alcohol use among youth continues to be a major concern for this nation, with a large
      proportion of adolescents increasing their alcohol consumption as they transition from the
      6th to the 8th grade. Although many adolescents experience alcohol-related problems, few
      actually seek help or treatment. This may be because traditional intervention approaches are
      not well suited for this age group. The aims of this project are to assess factors that
      impact younger adolescents' alcohol-related help-seeking behavior and to develop and
      standardize a developmentally sensitive self-change facilitation program. We will also
      preliminarily test the efficacy of the program in modifying the alcohol involvement (e.g.,
      initiation, use, and problems) of middle school students. The focus of this grant is on
      younger adolescents (e.g., 12-15 years old), as they are particularly vulnerable to
      initiating alcohol use due to unique developmental issues. For example, peer conformity peaks
      during 6tn, 7th and 8th grade and declines thereafter. In addition, this age group is less
      likely to consider future consequences in the decision making process. Biannual surveys at
      two middle schools will assess alcohol and drug use patterns, help-seeking behavior and
      preferences, self-change efforts, and level of motivation for change. Year 1 data will be
      used to develop a voluntary brief intervention program that targets a variety of youth,
      including those who are just beginning to experiment with alcohol and those who may have
      experienced some problems due to their use. Primary objectives are: 1) to explore barriers
      and facilitative factors that promote/hinder younger adolescents' use of services, 2) use
      detailed survey information to design and pilot a self-change program, 3) examine alcohol
      involvement in relation to program utilization, and 4) preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of
      the intervention and overall patterns of service use. This study will extend facilitation of
      self-change research, as this program will be one of the first voluntary alcohol focused
      intervention programs to target middle school students.
    

Intervention name(s): brief, voluntary substance use intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: brief motivational intervention; teens; substance use