Young adults' change talk within brief motivational intervention in the emergency department and booster sessions is...

Area of Science:

• Addiction research
• Psychology
• Public health

Background:

• Brief motivational interventions (BMIs) are used to address alcohol use in young adults.
• Change talk (CT) is a key component of BMIs, reflecting a client's desire for change.
• Understanding CT's role as a mechanism of change is crucial for optimizing interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of change talk (CT) within successive brief motivational interventions (BMIs) as a mechanism of change for alcohol use.
• To examine how baseline CT and changes in CT over time predict heavy drinking days (HDD).

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial involving 344 young adults with alcohol intoxication.
• Included 140 participants with audio-recorded baseline BMIs and up to three phone booster sessions.
• Used latent growth curve modeling to analyze CT (Percent CT, CT Average Strength) and HDD over 12 months.

Main Results:

• CT increased from baseline to the 1-week booster session and remained stable thereafter.
• Higher baseline CT was associated with fewer HDD at 1 month.
• An increase in CT from baseline to 1 week predicted decreased HDD from 1 to 12 months.

Conclusions:

• Both initial levels of CT and its trajectory within the first week are significant predictors of reduced heavy drinking days.
• The findings highlight the importance of fostering CT early in the intervention process.