Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Brief intervention in substance-use among adolescent psychiatric patients: a randomized controlled trial

  • Original Contribution
  • Published:
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective of the study is to assess the efficacy of a brief motivational enhancement intervention in adolescents referred to psychiatric treatment who reported substance-use. In a sample of adolescents (n = 237) consecutively admitted to a psychiatry department, 143 were identified as users. Subjects were randomly allocated to one of two groups: an experimental group that received a brief intervention aimed at increasing their awareness of the risks of substance-use, or a control group. All subjects received standard treatment according to the primary diagnosis. Structured questionnaires assessing knowledge, problems, perception of risks and intention of use of psychoactive substances were administered upon admission and 1 month later. Fifty-nine subjects entered the experimental group and 44 the control group. No significant differences between the two groups were identified in socio-demographic features or substance-use. Non-parametric analyses showed a significant increase across time in overall knowledge about drugs and perception of risk in the experimental group (P < 0.05). A significant increase in overall knowledge in the experimental group compared to controls was found (P < 0.05). No differences were observed for other variables such as intention of use or perception of risk. Brief intervention in adolescents entering psychiatric treatment led to a significant change in overall knowledge about psychoactive substances but not in other variables related to use. Our results point to the need of more intensive interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edn. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  2. Baker A et al (2002) Evaluation of a motivational interview for substance use within psychiatric in-patient services. Addiction 97(10):1329–1337

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Barnett NP et al (2003) Identification and brief treatment of alcohol problems with medical patients: an international perspective. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 27(2):262–270

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Beich A et al (2002) Screening and brief intervention for excessive alcohol use: qualitative interview study of the experiences of general practitioners. BMJ 325(7369):870

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Bien TH, Miller WR, Tonigan JS (1993) Brief interventions for alcohol problems: a review. Addiction 88(3):315–335

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Couwenbergh C et al (2006) Comorbid psychopathology in adolescents and young adults treated for substance use disorders. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 15(6):319–328

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Díaz R et al (2008) Clinical and research utility of Spanish Teen-Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI). Addict Behav 33(1):188–195

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Dunn C, Deroo L, Rivara FP (2001) The use of brief interventions adapted from motivational interviewing across behavioral domains: a systematic review. Addiction 96(12):1725–1742

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Fulkerson JA, Harrison PA, Beebe TJ (1999) DSM-IV substance abuse and dependence: are there really two dimensions of substance use disorders in adolescents? Addiction 94(4):495–506

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Grenard JL et al (2007) Brief intervention for substance use among at-risk adolescents: a pilot study. J Adolesc Health 40(2):188–191

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Hesselbrock M et al (1999) A validity study of the SSAGA—a comparison with the SCAN. Addiction 94(9):1361–1370

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kaminer Y, Bukstein O, Tarter RE (1991) The Teen-Addiction Severity Index: rationale and reliability. Int J Addict 26(2):219–226

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Knight JR et al (2005) Motivational interviewing for adolescent substance use: a pilot study. J Adolesc Health 37(2):167–169

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Madrid Anti drug Agency (2003) Spanish Version of the Evaluation Instruments Bank (EIB). Banco de Instrumentos para la Evaluación de Intervenciones preventivas (BIP). Comunidad de Madrid, Madrid

    Google Scholar 

  15. McCambridge J, Strang J (2003) Development of a structured generic drug intervention model for public health purposes: a brief application of motivational interviewing with young people. Drug Alcohol Rev 22(4):391–399

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. McCambridge J, Strang J (2004) The efficacy of single-session motivational interviewing in reducing drug consumption and perceptions of drug-related risk and harm among young people: results from a multi-site cluster randomized trial. Addiction 99(1):39–52

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Migneault JP, Pallonen UE, Velicer WF (1997) Decisional balance and stage of change for adolescent drinking. Addict Behav 22(3):339–351

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Miller WR (1991) Motivational interviewing: preparing people to change addictive behaviour. Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  19. de la Moral Jiménez M et al (2006) Factors related to young people’s attitudes to the consumption of alcohol and other psychoactive substances. Psicothema 18(1):52–58

    Google Scholar 

  20. Moyer A et al (2002) Brief interventions for alcohol problems: a meta-analytic review of controlled investigations in treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking populations. Addiction 97(3):279–292

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Niethammer O, Reiner F (2007) Prevalence of use, abuse and dependence on legal and illegal psychotropic substances in an adolescent inpatient psychiatric population. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 16(4):254–259

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. O’Donnell D et al (1998) Informativeness of child and parent reports on substance use disorders in a sample of ADHD probands, control probands, and their siblings. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 37:752–758

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Rey JM (2008) Marijuana use disorders and DSM-V. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 47(2):121–122

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Schwartz RH (2002) Marijuana: a decade and a half later, still a crude drug with underappreciated toxicity. Pediatrics 109(2):284–289

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Shakeshaft AP et al (2002) Community-based alcohol counselling: a randomized clinical trial. Addiction 97(11):1449–1463

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Spanish Drug Observatory and Spanish, 2004 (2004) Annual inform from the Spanish Drug Observatory and Spanish Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs (Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs) resources page. National Plan on Drugs web site. Available at http://www.pnsd.msc.es/Categoria2/publica/pdf/oed-2004.pdf. Accessed 13 March 2007

  27. Spirito A et al (2004) A randomized clinical trial of a brief motivational intervention for alcohol-positive adolescents treated in an emergency department. J Pediatr 145(3):396–402

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Tait RJ, Hulse GK, Robertson SI (2004) Effectiveness of a brief-intervention and continuity of care in enhancing attendance for treatment by adolescent substance users. Drug Alcohol Depend 74(3):289–296

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Tobler NS (1997) Meta-analysis of adolescent drug prevention programs: results of the 1993 meta-analysis. NIDA Res Monogr 170:5–68

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Trujillo AM et al (2007) Substance use and risk perception: comparative study of adolescents in Bogotá and Barcelona. Adicciones 19(2):179–189

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Vasilaki EI, Hosier SG, Cox WM (2006) The efficacy of motivational interviewing as a brief intervention for excessive drinking: a meta-analytic review. Alcohol 41(3):328–335

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study has been supported by a grant from the INIFD (National Institute for Research and Training on Drugs) (INT/1525/2003) as part of the Spanish Government's National Plan on Drugs (Ministry of Health and Consumption).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salut Mental (CIBER-SAM Network), Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Javier Goti, Rosa Diaz, Lourdes Serrano, Laura Gonzalez, Rosa Calvo & Josefina Castro

  2. Alcohol Unit, Neurosciences Institute, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Antoni Gual

  3. IDIBAPS (Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer), Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Josefina Castro

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Josefina Castro

Authors
  1. Javier Goti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rosa Diaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lourdes Serrano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Laura Gonzalez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Rosa Calvo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Antoni Gual
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Josefina Castro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Javier Goti.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goti, J., Diaz, R., Serrano, L. et al. Brief intervention in substance-use among adolescent psychiatric patients: a randomized controlled trial. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 19, 503–511 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-009-0060-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-009-0060-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation