Journal article
Screening, brief Intervention, and referral to treatment: Persistence of effects in adolescents at risk
Addictive behaviors, Vol.182, 108771
11/2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108771
PMID: 42341446
Abstract
•Substance use brief intervention reduced adolescent substance use for 60 days.•5–15 min brief interventions lowered alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use.•Effects waned by 6 months, suggesting need for repeat or combined interventions.
This observational longitudinal study examines substance use reduction following implementation of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) in a specialized foster care clinic. Following SBIRT we expected to observe reductions in past 30-day use of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis, sustained to 6 months post-intervention. Adolescents (10–20 years) received standardized screening via the CRAFFT2.1 + N. An interventionist trained in the brief negotiated interview delivered brief intervention. Enrolled participants completed surveys in REDCap that assessed past 30-day use of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis at baseline and 30-, 60-, and 180-day post-brief intervention. Generalized linear mixed-effects models estimated change over time, clustered by person. Poisson regression estimated change in use over 6 months of enrollment; negative binomial logistic regression models estimated any use. Covariates included demographics, placement history, mental health diagnoses, and parental substance use. Among 287 adolescents, significant, non-linear reductions in alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis were identified, with a decline in use noted in the first 60 days of intervention, followed by a plateau and increase to near baseline by 6 months. This pattern persisted with the addition of covariates. The benefits of SBIRT are observed in the first 60 days following intervention. Findings suggest that the delivery of SBIRT to adolescents in healthcare settings, including to young people in foster care, may be beneficial to reduce substance use. Repeat brief intervention after 60 days may be especially important for those who continue to use substances, and for older adolescents.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Screening, brief Intervention, and referral to treatment: Persistence of effects in adolescents at risk
- Creators
- Sarah J. Beal - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterGrace Gerdts - University of IowaNichole Nidey - University of IowaJacqueline Unkrich - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterKatie Fox - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterMegan Radenhausen - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterShauna Aquavita - University of CincinnatiCourtney Dunn - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterMary V. Greiner - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Addictive behaviors, Vol.182, 108771
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108771
- PMID
- 42341446
- NLM abbreviation
- Addict Behav
- ISSN
- 0306-4603
- eISSN
- 1873-6327
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Grant note
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): H79TI084035
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) supported costs associated with program delivery and study execution under Grant #H79TI084035. The funder provided no prod-ucts. This study presents the opinions and perspectives of the authors only, and does not necessarily reflect the views of SAMHSA. All listed authors contributed substantially to the conceptualization, execution, analysis, and write-up of this manuscript and have approved this final version for submission. We thank Kellie Jo Reynolds, Meera Patel, Ro Gigger, Julie Dougherty, Julie Bemerer, Nathan Lutz, Houley Sall, Mariam Ranginwala, Luke Greiner, and Alyssa Banister for their assis-tance with participant recruitment and retention and the delivery of brief intervention. None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 06/11/2026
- Date published
- 11/2026
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Epidemiology; Addiction Medicine; Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9985176763602771
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