We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.
Components of Brief Alcohol Interventions for Youth in the Emergency Department
Maureen A. Walton , Stephen T. Chermack , Frederic C. Blow , Peter F. Ehrlich , Kristen L. Barry , Brenda M. Booth , Rebecca M. Cunningham
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 3, 2015
Underage drinking remains an important public health problem, with early intervention strategies being critically important to alter risk trajectories. Although prior studies show brief interventions are promising, little is known about the salience of specific intervention components. By capturing data occurring during brief interventions, including those delivered by therapists and by computers, our findings provide novel information regarding potential key components. Namely our findings suggest that, regardless of delivery mechanism, brief interventions should include identification of personal strengths and protective behavioral strategies. Given the limitation that our outcome data was measured at post-test, future longitudinal studies are needed to determine the impact of these key components on drinking behaviors. The use of computer technology to deliver brief interventions, as well as structure the delivery of therapist interventions, provides an exciting platform to translate these approaches into routine medical care.