Motivational interviewing to enhance treatment initiation in substance abusers: an effectiveness study

Area of Science:

• Addiction Medicine
• Clinical Psychology
• Social Work

Background:

• Child welfare services frequently encounter parents with substance abuse issues.
• Standard substance abuse evaluations may not effectively engage parents in subsequent treatment.
• Motivational Interviewing (MI) shows promise in improving treatment adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced substance abuse evaluation using Motivational Interviewing techniques.
• To compare treatment engagement rates following standard versus MI-enhanced evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Sixty parents referred for substance abuse evaluations were randomized to a standard or MI-enhanced single-session evaluation.
• Treatment engagement was measured by attendance at subsequent treatment sessions.

Main Results:

• Parents receiving the MI-enhanced evaluation were significantly more likely to attend additional treatment sessions (59% vs. 29%).
• The enhanced evaluation demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in treatment engagement.

Conclusions:

• Modifying standard initial evaluations with Motivational Interviewing is a cost-effective strategy to increase substance-abusing parent engagement in treatment.
• Findings support the utility of MI in community-based substance abuse services.
• This approach extends the positive literature on MI to non-research settings.