Substance Use in Assault-Injured Young Adults

Alcohol and Cannabis Use Among Assault-Injured Emerging Adults

This study aims to improve a short motivational conversation to better help young adults who were injured in assaults and also use alcohol or cannabis. Researchers will gather both interview and survey data from young adults who came to the emergency department after an assault and currently use alcohol or cannabis. Guided by a theory about risky behaviors, the study will focus on how confident young people feel about making changes to their alcohol and cannabis use, and how their friends and family influence their alcohol and cannabis use and involvement in injuries from assault. The team will follow a step-by-step process used by the NIH to adapt and test the improved motivational conversation in the emergency department.

Aim 1: Quantitatively and qualitatively assess self-efficacy, perceived peer and familial norms, and motivation to reduce alcohol and/or cannabis use and engage in treatment referral, among assault-injured emerging adults. AIM 2: Adapt the BNI for use among assault-injured emerging adults with alcohol and/or cannabis misuse in the ED. AIM 3: Determine the feasibility and acceptability of an adapted BNI among assault-injured emerging adults with alcohol and/or cannabis misuse presenting to the ED through a randomized pilot trial comparing those who have received the adapted BNI and treatment referrals to a referrals-only control group. The focus of this registration is the randomized pilot in Aim 3. Anticipated start dates will be reflected in the clinical trial component in Aim 3.

Inclusion Criteria:

Aim 1:

• Be clients of the Yale Hospital Violence Intervention Program (YHVIP)
• Be between the ages of 18-25 y/o upon study enrollment
• Have sustained an intentional injury inflicted by another person not considered to be a boy/girlfriend, fiancée, or spouse in the past year
• Report current alcohol and/or cannabis misuse
• Be English-speaking and able to provide informed consent.

Aim 2 and 3:

• Present to Yale New Haven Hospital ED for an intentional injury inflicted by another person not considered to be a boy/girlfriend, fiancée, or spouse
• Be between the ages of 18-25 y/o upon study enrollment
• Report current alcohol and/or cannabis misuse
• Be English-speaking and able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

Aim 1:

• Be actively suicidal or severely cognitively impaired precluding informed consent
• Sustain an intentional injury from a boy/girlfriend, fiancée, or spouse or sexual assault
• Be incarcerated or in police custody
• Currently engaged in addiction treatment

Aim 2 and 3:

• Be actively suicidal or severely cognitively impaired precluding informed consent
• Sustain intentional injury from a boy/girlfriend, fiancée, spouse or by sexual assault
• Be incarcerated or in police custody
• Currently engaged in addiction treatment