[Individual Motivational Interventions after Alcohol-Related Event Treated in Hospital - Effective Option for...

Individual Motivational Interventions after alcohol-related event treated in Hospital - Effective Option for Secondary Prevention in Adolescence? In a prospective, randomized, single-blind study 48 adolescents between 13 and 17 years answered a standardized questionnaire about their behavior of alcohol-consumption after an alcohol-related event with hospitalization. They were divided in 2 groups by randomization: Group A (n=28) took part in an individual motivational intervention (HaLT-Präventionsprojekt), Group B (n=20) did not get any intervention. Six and 12 weeks after the hospitalization the same questionnaire was answered again by telephone-based interviews. The interviewer did not know to which group the interview-partner belonged. 58% (n=28) of all adolescents drank less alcohol or in a lower frequency than before the alcohol-related event. 17% (n=8) did not drink any alcohol in that period of 12 weeks. 54% (n=26) explained, that they had no events of drunkenness in that period. 38% (n=18) did not change their behavior in consumption of alcohol. 6% (n=3) drank more or in higher frequency than before. We could not find any significant difference in the behavior of alcohol-consumption of both groups: 58% (A) resp. 65% (B) drank less than the time before the alcohol-related event (χ²=0,6269; p=0,4285). An influence of the individual motivational intervention could not be shown. Further studies should include interventions for parents and peers.