Boosting a teen substance use prevention program with motivational interviewing

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Psychology
• Substance Abuse Prevention

Background:

• School-based programs are crucial for adolescent substance abuse prevention.
• Motivational Interviewing (MI) shows promise as an adjunct intervention.
• Brief MI interventions need further development and evaluation in school settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a brief MI intervention.
• To assess the feasibility and fidelity of MI in a school-based setting.
• To provide data on intervention dosage and content.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of a brief MI intervention.
• Randomized controlled trial within Project Toward No Drug Abuse.
• Data collection on MI dosage, topics, and quality using the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code (MISC).
• Study conducted with 573 adolescents in Southern California continuation high schools.

Main Results:

• The brief MI intervention protocol was feasible to implement.
• Intervention was implemented with adequate fidelity.
• Data on dosage, topics, and quality were collected and analyzed.

Conclusions:

• Brief MI is a viable adjunct to school-based substance abuse prevention.
• The intervention demonstrated feasibility and adequate fidelity in the target population.
• Further research should consider the study's limitations.