Motivational interviewing (MI) for preventing alcohol misuse in young adults is not effective enough

Foxcroft DR et al. (2016)

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews - https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007025.pub4

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Evidence Categories

• Care setting: Community setting
• Population group: Children & Young adults
• Intervention: Fostering safe and supportive environments
• Intervention: Changing attitudes and social norms around alcohol
• Intervention: Supporting behaviour change
• Outcome: Changes to frequency/amount of alcohol use

Type of Evidence

Systematic Review

Aims

To assess the effects of motivational interviewing (MI) interventions for preventing alcohol misuse and alcohol-related problems in young adults.

Findings

Alcohol use, misuse and problems: self reported or objective.

Typical self reported measurement scales are, for example, the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ), Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI), Alcohol Addiction Severity Index (AASI), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (S‐MAST) and the Short Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire (SADD). Self reported measures include:

 

• quantity of alcohol consumed;

• frequency of alcohol consumption;

• binge drinking;

• alcohol problems (alcohol abuse or dependence).

 

Objective measures of alcohol misuse are assessed by breath or blood alcohol test and include:

 

• average blood alcohol content (BAC);

• peak BAC.

Conclusions

The results of this review indicate that there are no substantive, meaningful benefits of MI interventions for preventing alcohol use, misuse or alcohol-related problems. Although we found some statistically significant effects, the effect sizes were too small, given the measurement scales used in the included studies, to be of relevance to policy or practice. Moreover, the statistically significant effects are not consistent for all misuse measures, and the quality of evidence is not strong, implying that any effects could be inflated by risk of bias.