OBJECTIVE: This randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of a psychoeducational video on posttraumatic distress and factors related to the mental health treatment seeking process among trauma care center patients receiving care following hospitalization for a serious physical injury. METHOD: Ninety-nine, predominantly Hispanic American (59%) and male (84%), participants were randomized to view either a psychoeducation intervention or a wound care control video. Participants were assessed at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 1-month follow-up on posttraumatic stress reactions, attitudes toward mental health service utilization, and knowledge and self-recognition of posttraumatic stress symptoms. RESULTS: Immediately after viewing the psychoeducational video, participants exhibited greater knowledge of PTSD symptoms and more positive beliefs about mental health treatment than those in the wound care condition. At 1-month follow-up, however, these differences were no longer maintained. Further, no significant differences in PTSD were found between the intervention and control groups. Differences in self-recognition of PTSD nearly reached significance with psychoeducation intervention participants being more likely to recognize their symptoms as mental health problems than control condition participants. CONCLUSION: Brief psychoeducation interventions for traumatic injury survivors may have had immediate modest effects on mental health literacy, beliefs about mental health treatment, and self-recognition of PTSD, but were not maintained at 1-month follow-up. More comprehensive and targeted interventions may be needed to facilitate more potent and long-lasting change.

Group motivational interviewing (MI) interventions that target youth at-risk for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use may prevent future negative consequences. Youth in a teen court setting [n = 193; 67% male, 45% Hispanic; mean age 16.6 (SD = 1.05)] were randomized to receive either a group MI intervention, Free Talk, or usual care (UC). We examined client acceptance, and intervention feasibility and conducted a preliminary outcome evaluation. Free Talk teens reported higher quality and satisfaction ratings, and MI integrity scores were higher for Free Talk groups. AOD use and delinquency decreased for both groups at 3 months, and 12-month recidivism rates were lower but not significantly different for the Free Talk group compared to UC. Results contribute to emerging literature on MI in a group setting. A longer term follow-up is warranted.

There are many mandated school-based programs to prevent adolescent alcohol and drug (AOD) use, but few are voluntary and take place outside of class time. This cluster randomized controlled trial evaluates CHOICE, a voluntary after-school program for younger adolescents, which reduced both individual- and school-level alcohol use in a previous pilot study. We evaluated CHOICE with 9,528 students from 16 middle schools. The sample was 51% female; 54% Hispanic, 17% Asian, 15% white, 9% multiethnic and 3% African American. Fifteen percent of students attended CHOICE. All students completed surveys on alcohol beliefs and use at baseline and 6–7 months later. We conducted intention-to-treat (ITT) school-level analyses and propensity-matched attender analyses. Lifetime alcohol use in the ITT analysis (i.e., school level) achieved statistical significance, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.70 and a NNT of 14.8. The NNT suggests that in a school where CHOICE was offered, 1 adolescent out of 15 was prevented from initiating alcohol use during this time period. Although not statistically significant (p = .20), results indicate that past month alcohol use was also lower in CHOICE schools (OR = 0.81; NNT = 45). Comparisons of attenders versus matched controls yielded results for lifetime use similar to school-wide effects (OR = 0.74 and NNT = 17.6). Initial results are promising and suggest that a voluntary after-school program that focuses specifically on AOD may be effective in deterring alcohol use among early adolescents; however, further research is needed as program effects were modest.