Emergency Department (ED) Adolescent Alcohol Prevention Intervention
Condition: Alcohol Drinking
MeSH terms: Emergencies; Alcohol Drinking
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of the present study is to prevent or delay the initiation of alcohol use among young
      adolescents being seen in a pediatric emergency department, by enhancing parental monitoring
      and improving parent/adolescent conversations. Previous studies have shown that the pediatric
      emergency department is an excellent location for performing prevention interventions. By
      targeting individuals and their families in the pediatric emergency department (PED), we are
      capitalizing on the opportunity to perform a prevention intervention among a high risk
      population when parent and youth may be particularly receptive to the intervention.
    

Detailed description: 
      Our long term goal is to develop, implement, and evaluate a program to prevent or delay the
      initiation of alcohol use in young adolescents by increasing protective factors and reducing
      risk through a family-based brief prevention intervention started in the pediatric emergency
      department (PED). The primary aims of the proposed developmental study include: (1) To pilot
      test a prevention intervention in alcohol-naïve adolescents, make necessary revisions, and
      finalize an intervention manual and (2) conduct a randomized pilot trial comparing the
      prevention intervention with enhanced standard care. After conducting an open trial of the
      prevention intervention with 10 adolescents, ages 12-14, and their accompanying parent(s),
      and refining the intervention, we will use a two-group randomized design to test the
      hypothesis that the prevention intervention will prevent/delay the initiation of alcohol use
      significantly more than enhanced standard care only. 100 adolescents, ages 12-14, who present
      to the PED and their accompanying parent(s)/caregiver will be enrolled into the study.
      Eligible, assenting adolescents and their consenting parent(s)/caregiver will complete a
      series of assessment instruments relating to alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, communication
      styles, parenting styles, and alcohol attitudes and behaviors. Parent/youth family units will
      then be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: 1) Enhanced Standard Care (ESC) or 2)
      Brief Targeted Prevention Intervention with Boosters (BTP). The initial session will be
      comprised of parent-targeted skill building directed primarily at parental monitoring and the
      importance of parent-adolescent communication as the precursor to successful monitoring. The
      primary goal of the prevention session will be the mobilization of the parents' own resources
      to increase communication and monitoring using motivational interviewing techniques. Parents
      within this condition will also receive periodic brochures and telephone booster sessions at
      1 and 3 months to explore parental implementation of the plan from the previous session(s)
      and make revisions as necessary. Adolescents and parents will then be reassessed six months
      following their PED visit. Adolescents will also be assessed with monthly, brief, web-based
      follow-up contacts to determine the status of their alcohol use.
    

Intervention name(s): Brief Prevention Intervention (BPI); ESC
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Brief Prevention Intervention: Participants will receive the BPI, a brief, family-focused prevention intervention in the Pediatric ED. The session will be comprised of parent-targeted skill building directed primarily at parental monitoring and the importance of parent-adolescent communication as the precursor to successful monitoring.; Enhanced standard care
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Pediatric Emergency Department; Parental monitoring; Adolescent; Parents; Communication; Alcohol Drinking