Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment/Motivational Interviewing School-Based Therapy Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Adolescent mental health
• School-based interventions
• Substance abuse research

Background:

• Substance abuse and psychological disorders are prevalent in adolescents.
• School settings offer a viable platform for early intervention.
• Addressing comorbid conditions is crucial for at-risk youth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of combined Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and motivational interviewing (MI) interventions.
• To assess the impact of these interventions on depressive, anxiety, and substance use symptoms in middle school students.
• To explore the feasibility of implementing SBIRT/MI in a school-based setting.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 19 middle school participants.
• Interventions delivered by trained student psychiatric nurse practitioners proficient in MI.
• Utilized Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorders-7 (GAD-7), and CRAFFT screening tools for pre- and post-intervention assessment.

Main Results:

• Significant decreases in depressive and anxiety symptoms were observed post-intervention.
• No significant pre-post differences were found for substance use symptoms, potentially due to the short 4-week screening period.
• The intervention demonstrated positive effects on mood and anxiety indicators.

Conclusions:

• Combined SBIRT/MI interventions show promise for improving mental health symptoms in adolescents within a school setting.
• Further research with longer follow-up periods is warranted to confirm effects on substance use.
• School-based mental health programs are essential for early detection and treatment of comorbid conditions in youth.