Baer, J. S., Marlatt, G. A., Kivlahan, D. R., Fromme, K., Larimer, M. E., & Williams, E. (1992). An experimental test of three methods of alcohol risk reduction with young adults. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60(6), 974–979. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.60.6.974

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 134

Population:

• Age — 17–40 years (Mean=21.2 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — 91% White, 5% Asian, and less than 1% Black, Latin American, or Native American
• Gender — 52% Female
• Status — Participants were student volunteers recruited through the media.

Location/Institution: Not specified

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of 3 forms of alcohol risk reduction programming for young adults: a 6-week class and discussion group, a 6-unit self-help manual, or a single 1-hr feedback and advice session with professional staff [now called Motivational Interviewing (MI)]. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three risk reduction groups. Measures utilized include the Brief Drinker Profile (BDP), the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), the Drinking Habits Questionnaire (DHQ), the Symptom Distress Checklist (SCL-90), and the Daily Drinking Questionnaire. Results indicate that there were significant reductions in self-reported drinking at the end of the intervention phase, and a maintenance of drinking changes throughout a 2-year follow-up period. Comparable drinking reductions were rated across treatments; however, noncompliance with the self-help reading program suggested limited utility. Treatment response was related to subject age, as subjects showed increased drinking during the year they reached legal drinking status. Limitations include lack of an assessment-only control group and lack of generalizability due to ethnicity.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3, 6, 12 and 24 months.

Baer, J. S., Kivlahan, D. R., Blume, A. W., McKnight, P., & Marlatt, A. G. (2001). Brief intervention for heavy drinking college students: 4-year follow-up and natural history. American Journal of Public Health, 91(8), 1310–1316. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.91.8.1310

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 461

Population:

• Age — Younger than 19 years
• Race/Ethnicity — High Risk Sample: 84% White; Normative Sample: 78% White
• Gender — High Risk Sample: 55% Female; Normative Sample: 54% Female
• Status — Participants were college freshmen who reported drinking heavily while in high school.

Location/Institution: University of Washington

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine long-term response to an individual preventive intervention [now called Motivational Interviewing (MI)] for high-risk college drinkers relative to the natural history of college drinking. Participants were randomly assigned to MI or a normative comparison sample. Measures utilized include the Daily Drinking Questionnaire, the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Inventory, the Alcohol Dependency Scale, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, and the Brief Drinker Profile. Results indicate that high-risk controls showed secular trends for reduced drinking quantity and negative consequences without changes in drinking frequency. Those receiving the MI reported significant additional reductions, particularly with respect to negative consequences. Categorical individual change analyses show that remission is normative, and they suggest that participants receiving MI are more likely to improve and less likely to worsen regarding negative drinking consequences. Limitations include reliability on self-report measures, lack of generalizability due to ethnicity, and study included participants from only one large university.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1, 2, 3, and 4 years.

Carroll, K. M., Libby, B., Sheehan, J., & Hyland, N. (2001). Motivational Interviewing to enhance treatment initiation in substance abusers: An effectiveness study. The American Journal on Addictions, 10(4), 335–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/aja.10.4.335.339

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 60

Population:

• Age — Standard: Mean=34.0 years; MI Enhanced: Mean=34.7 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Standard: 86% Caucasian, 10% Hispanic, and 3% African American; MI Enhanced: 81% Caucasian, 10% Hispanic, 7% African American, and 3% Other
• Gender — Standard: 62% Female; MI Enhanced: 81% Female
• Status — Participants were individuals referred by child welfare caseworkers for a substance abuse evaluation.

Location/Institution: Connecticut

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of Motivational Interviewing (MI) as an enhanced treatment initiation with substance abusers. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either standard treatment or standard treatment with MI. Measures utilized include participant attendance rates in subsequent drug abuse treatment sessions after the conclusion of the evaluation, as well as basic demographic data and substance abuse history. Results indicate that significantly more participants in the MI group went on to attend treatment sessions than in the standard group (59.3% versus 29.2%). Limitations include the somewhat specialized study population, lack of substance abuse outcome data, small sample size, lack of standardized measures, lack of follow-up, and lack of generalizability of findings due to ethnicity.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Mullins, S. M., Suarez, M., Ondersma, S. J., & Page, M. C. (2004). The impact of Motivational Interviewing on substance abuse treatment retention: A randomized control trial of women involved with child welfare. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 27(1), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2004.03.010

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 71

Population:

• Age — MI: Mean=24.3 years; EC: Mean=27.9 years
• Race/Ethnicity — MI: 46% Caucasian, 34% African American, 11% Native American, and 9% Hispanic; EC: 50% Caucasian, 31% African American, 14% Native American, and 6% Hispanic
• Gender — 100% Female
• Status — Participants were women enrolled in a 12-month treatment program for pregnant women using drugs following Child Protective Services referral.

Location/Institution: A treatment center in a university medical school in a Midwestern city

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of Motivational Interviewing (MI) on substance abuse treatment retention for women. Participants were randomly assigned to either receive three MI sessions or to watch two educational videos and participate in a home visit (education control [EC] condition). Measures utilized include urinalysis. Results indicate that no differences were found between the MI and EC conditions. Limitations include small sample size and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Freyer-Adam, J., Coder, B., Baumeister, S. E., Bischof, G., Riedel, J, Paatsch, K., Wedler, B., Rumpf, H.-J., John, U., & Hapke, U. (2008). Brief alcohol intervention for general hospital inpatients: A randomized controlled trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 93(3), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.09.016

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 595

Population:

• Age — Control: Mean=40.40 years; MI Liaison: Mean=42.52 years; and MI Physician: Mean=38.80 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Control: 94% Male; MI Liaison: 94% Male; and MI Physician: 95% Male
• Status — Participants were hospital patients with alcohol problems based on a positive screening result.

Location/Institution: Twenty-nine wards from four general hospitals of one region in Germany

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to test the effectiveness of a brief alcohol intervention [now called Motivational Interviewing (MI)] among non-dependent general hospital inpatients with alcohol problems. Participants were randomly assigned to either MI based counseling administered by a specialized liaison service; hospital physicians trained under routine conditions; or to receive hospital treatment as usual without additional counseling. Measures utilized include the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), the Luebeck Alcohol Dependence and Abuse Screening Test (LAST), the Readiness to Change Questionnaire (RCQ), the Treatment Readiness Tool (TReaT), the Health Behaviour Questionnaire, and the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5). Results indicate that at baseline, the three groups differed regarding motivation, with higher motivation among the controls. At follow-up, the groups did not differ regarding alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems and well-being. All groups decreased their alcohol consumption significantly. Regarding motivation, longitudinal analyses revealed significant interaction effects of time and intervention, indicating a stronger increase of readiness to change drinking and a less profound drop of readiness to seek help among those who received intervention compared to the controls. Limitations include lack of generalizability due to gender, inability to fully answer the question of what is the most effective way of delivery—by physicians or by a liaison service, small sample size in the physician group, and missing data.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: Approximately 11 months.

Osterman, R. L., & Dyehouse, J. (2012). Effects of a Motivational Interviewing intervention to decrease prenatal alcohol use. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 34(4), 434–454. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945911402523

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 67

Population:

• Age — 18–44 years
• Race/Ethnicity — 67% Non-Hispanic African American
• Gender — 100% Female
• Status — Participants were pregnant women with previous year alcohol use.

Location/Institution: Three Midwestern U.S. prenatal clinics

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI) in decreasing prenatal alcohol use in a sample of pregnant women. Participants were randomly assigned to MI or a comparison group. Measures utilized include the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS), and the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ). Results indicate that MI was not effective in decreasing prenatal drinking behaviors in the study; however, nonspecific factors were identified, such as treatment structures, participant motivation for improvement, and provider qualities, which may have influenced these results. Limitations include the small sample size, possible fear of punitive and legal consequences of prenatal alcohol use, which may have affected the underreporting of drinking behaviors at baseline and follow-up, and a higher attrition rate in the intervention group than in the comparison group.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 4–6 weeks.

Magill, M., Colby, S. M., Orchowski, L., Murphy, J. G., Hoadley, A., Brazil, L. A., & Barnett, N. P. (2017). How does brief motivational intervention change heavy drinking and harm among underage young adult drinkers?, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(5), 447–458. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000200

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 167

Population:

• Age — 17–20 years (Mean=18.2 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — 59% Non-Hispanic White, 14% Multiethnic, 11% Hispanic, and 10% Non-Hispanic Black/African American
• Gender — 58% Female
• Status — Participants were underage, past-month heavy drinkers recruited from community (i.e., non-4-year college or university) settings.

Location/Institution: Not specified

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Colby et al. (2018). The purpose of the study was to test mediating processes hypothesized to explain the therapeutic benefit of Motivational Interviewing (MI). Participants were randomly assigned to brief MI or to a time- and attention-matched control of meditation and relaxation training for alcohol use. Measures utilized include the Contemplation Ladder, the Strategies to Limit Drinking Scale, the Timeline Follow Back (TLFB), and the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (BYAACQ). Results indicate that MI efficacy for reducing 6-week heavy drinking days (HDD) was mediated by baseline to post-session changes in the following 3 processes: increasing motivation, increasing self-efficacy, and decreasing the amount participants intended to drink in the future. For 6-week alcohol consumption (AC), MI efficacy was mediated through 1 process: decreased perceived drinking norms. At 3-month follow-up, increased cognitive dissonance mediated HDD, but not AC. Further, increased use of certain protective behavioral strategies (i.e., avoidance of and seeking alternatives to drinking contexts) from baseline to 6-weeks mediated both 3-month HDD and AC. Limitations include lack of generalizability due to recruiting a sample of young adults from high schools and various community service and educational settings, and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 weeks and 3 months.

Colby, S. M., Orchowski, L., Magill, M., Murphy, J. G., Brazil, L. A., Apodaca, T. R., Kahler, C. W., & Barnett, N. P. (2018). Brief motivational intervention for underage young adult drinkers: Results from a randomized clinical trial. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 42(7), 1342–1351. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.13770

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 167

Population:

• Age — 17–20 years (Mean=18.2 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — MI: 58% Non-Hispanic White, 13% More Than One Race, 12% Hispanic/Latino, 11% Non-Hispanic Black/Afr. Am., 1% AI/Native American, and 1% AAPI; REL: 61% Non-Hispanic White, 14% more than one race, 10% Hispanic/Latino, 8% Non-Hispanic Black/Afr. Am., 7% AAPI
• Gender — MI: 59% Male and 41% Female; REL: 57% Male and 43% Female
• Status — Participants were underage, past-month heavy drinkers recruited from community (i.e., non-4-year college or university) settings.

Location/Institution: Not specified

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy of a brief Motivational Interviewing (MI) intervention to a time-matched attention control intervention (relaxation training [REL]) for reducing alcohol consumption and related negative consequences in an underage young adult sample. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a single session of MI or REL. Measures utilized include the Timeline Follow Back (TLFB) and the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (BYAACQ). Results indicate that there is strong support for the efficacy of MI for reducing harmful drinking in these young adults. Compared to REL, and after controlling for baseline covariates including gender, those who received MI subsequently reported significantly fewer average drinks per week, percent drinking days, percent heavy drinking days, lower peak and typical estimated blood alcohol concentration on drinking days, and fewer adverse consequences of drinking. These between-group effects did not weaken over the course of the 3-month follow-up period. Limitations include a nonrepresentative sampling approach, reliance on self-reported measures, small sample size, and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 weeks and 3 months.

Magill, M., Janssen, T., Mastroleo, N., Hoadley, A., Walthers, J., Barnett, N., & Colby, S. (2019). Motivational Interviewing technical process and moderated relational process with underage young adult heavy drinkers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 33(2), 128–138. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000440

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 167

Population:

• Age — 17–20 years (Mean=18.2 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — 59% Non-Hispanic White, 14% More Than One Race, 11% Hispanic, and 10% Non-Hispanic Black/African American
• Gender — 62% Female
• Status — Participants were underage, past-month heavy drinkers recruited from community settings.

Location/Institution: Not specified

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Colby et al. (2018). The purpose of the study was to test technical and relational processes hypothesized to explain the therapeutic benefit of brief Motivational Interviewing (MI). Participants were randomly assigned to brief MI or an attention-matched control (i.e., relaxation training [REL]). Measures utilized include the CASAA Application for Client Therapist Interactions (CACTI), the Client Language Assessment – Proximal/Distal (CLA-PD) the Timeline Follow Back (TLFB) and the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (BYAACQ). Results indicate that membership in the moderate-increasing class rather than the low-increasing class mediated MI effects on alcohol-related consequences at 6 weeks. Mediation tests for consequences at 3 months and heavy drinking were non-significant. Limitations include that the study could have been underpowered to detect small effect sizes, participants were recruited from various community service and educational settings and this might affect study generalizability, and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 weeks and 3 months.

Oveisi, S., Stein, L. A. R., Babaeepour, E., & Araban, M. (2020). The impact of Motivational Interviewing on relapse to substance use among women in Iran: a randomized clinical trial. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), Article 157. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02561-9

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 60

Population:

• Age — Intervention: Mean=30.93 years; Control: Mean=30.90 years
• Race/Ethnicity — 100% Iranian
• Gender — 100% Female
• Status — Participants were adult, female drug users.

Location/Institution: A drug treatment center in Qazvin, Iran

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI) for women in treatment for drug use. Participants were randomly assigned to MI or standard care (SC). Measures utilized include the Relapse Prediction Scale (RPS). Results indicate that although the scores of the desire to use and the probability of drug use were not significant before the intervention, after the intervention, scores on desire to use and probability of use improved about 81.1% and 81.9%, respectively, compared to those of the SC group. Limitations include lack of generalizability due to gender; that participants were in a treatment program when they responded, which might have biased their responses; lack of follow up after release from the facility; and differences in treatment exposure.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1, 2, 3, and 4 years.