Readiness to change problematic drinking assessed in the emergency department as a predictor of change.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine if baseline readiness to change the drinking behavior (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, and action stages) was predictive of change in drinking after unrelated emergency department (ED) visit and screening and interviewing for alcohol problems.

Methods: From August 1998 through December 2000, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was administered to all consented ED patients aged 18 to 29 years. A brief motivational interviewing was provided to screen-positive patients (AUDIT score >5 of 40). Outcome at 3-month follow-up was measured as a decrease in the scores within the AUDIT domains of alcohol intake, harm, and dependency.

Results: Sixty percent of the screen-positive patients continued to drink at 3 months. Patients became more open to change their drinking behavior. Compared with patients in the pre-contemplation stage, those in the action stage were twice as likely to reduce their alcohol intake (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.06-4.72), nearly 3 times as likely to reduce their alcohol-related harm behavior (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.59-4.91), and almost 4 times more likely to decrease their dependency symptoms (OR, 3.59; 95% CI, 1.97-6.57). Compared with pre-contemplation patients, those in the contemplation stage were nearly twice as likely to reduce their alcohol-related harm (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.02-3.33) and those in the preparation stage were more than twice as likely to reduce their dependency symptoms (OR, 2.20, 95% CI, 1.13-4.27).

Conclusions: Stages of change at baseline appeared to be significant predictors of change in alcohol intake, harm, and dependency symptoms among young adult ED patients.