Advancing Adolescent Screening and Brief Intervention Protocols in Primary Care Settings

Advancing Adolescent Screening and Brief Intervention Protocols in Primary Care Settings

This proposed study tests the effectiveness and examines the implementation of screening and brief intervention techniques to delay initiation and reduce substance use among adolescents accessing medical care in Federally Qualified Health Care settings with a computer-facilitated intervention. The primary hypothesis is that participants in the intervention groups will be more likely to cease or reduce substance use at follow-up compared to clients in the treatment as usual condition.

The aims of the proposed 5-year study are threefold: (1) To examine the effectiveness of a computer-facilitated Screening and Brief Advice (cSBA) to reduce initiation and substance abuse among adolescents in a novel setting; (2) To examine the comparative effectiveness of adding a Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment component to the cSBA intervention among adolescents in these centers; (3) To examine factors facilitating and inhibiting the implementation of SBIRT-type procedures with adolescents in FQHCs.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 12-18 year old patients seeking care at the primary care participating sites

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to read and understand English
• Medically unstable
• Unavailable for follow-up