A brief intervention in the emergency department resulted in modest reductions in violence and alcohol use, according to a randomized, controlled trial involving 726 adolescents. The teenagers, all of whom reported violence and alcohol abuse during the past year, were randomized to receive either a brochure (the control condition) or a 35-minute intervention delivered via computer or by a therapist. Both interventions were targeted at alcohol use and violence and were based on motivational interviewing techniques and skills training. The interventions included a review of goals, tailored feedback, a decisional balance exercise, role plays, and referrals, wrote Maureen A. Walton, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her colleagues (JAMA 2010;304:527-35).
