Street youth constitute a group of adolescents at high risk for alcohol problems. Although the high level of substance use risk among street youth has been documented and alcohol use is known to increase risks for trauma and continued street life, few interventions have been developed for this population. The proposed four year study will develop and test a brief motivational enhancement intervention tailored to street youth. The goals of the intervention are to increase motivation to change alcohol and drug risk behavior, increase alcohol and drug-related help-seeking behavior, and to reduce alcohol and drug risk. The intervention is guided by the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1983). In short, we propose a brief, motivational intervention aimed at facilitating contemplation of change. The intervention uses personalized feedback on risk behavior and non-confrontational clinical interviewing techniques to encourage young adolescents without stable living environments to: consider treatment for alcohol problems, question social influences, and make use of available social services. A sample of 240 youth--stratified by age, gender, and ethnicity--will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: Motivational Enhancement treatment (ME) or assessment only (AO). Follow-up interviews will be conducted at one-month (immediate post-test) and three-months post-treatment and will assess the stage of change for heavy alcohol and drug use, attitudes and social norms, social network characteristics, quantity and frequency of alcohol and drug use, alcohol and drug use consequences, help seeking, and treatment services utilization. We hypothesize that compared to youth in the AO condition, youth in the ME condition will: a) show greater change in motivation to reduce alcohol and drug risk as evidenced by movement in stage of change; b) show greater change in attitudes and social norms favorable to reducing alcohol and drug risk; c) show greater reduction in use quantity and patterns of risky use of alcohol and other drugs; and d) engage in more help-seeking behavior for alcohol and other drug use.
| Ginzler, Joshua A; Garrett, Sharon B; Baer, John S et al. (2007) Measurement of negative consequences of substance use in street youth: an expanded use of the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index. Addict Behav 32:1519-25 |
| Peterson, Peggy L; Baer, John S; Wells, Elizabeth A et al. (2006) Short-term effects of a brief motivational intervention to reduce alcohol and drug risk among homeless adolescents. Psychol Addict Behav 20:254-64 |
| Baer, John S; Ginzler, Joshua A; Peterson, Peggy L (2003) DSM-IV alcohol and substance abuse and dependence in homeless youth. J Stud Alcohol 64:5-14 |
