Can Brief Emergency Department Interventions Reduce Teen Violence and Alcohol Use?

A brief intervention delivered by therapists reduced some self-reported violence- and alcohol-related outcomes.

Violence is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among adolescents. Researchers examined the efficacy of a brief intervention to reduce violence and alcohol misuse among medically stable at-risk adolescents (age range, 14–18 years) who presented to an urban emergency department for illness or injury between 2006 and 2009. Teens with suicidal ideation or who had been sexually assaulted were excluded.

Of 3338 adolescents who completed computerized screening questionnaires, 829 (25%) reported past-year alcohol use and aggression toward peers; 726 of these teens were randomized to receive a brochure with community resources (control) or a 35-minute intervention based on motivational interviewing, delivered by computer or by a research soci…

Reviewing Author

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

Can Brief Emergency Department Interventions Reduce Teen Violence and Alcohol Use?

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Reviewing Author