Comparative effectiveness of a brief intervention for alcohol misuse following traumatic brain injury: A randomized controlled trial.

Purpose/objective: Compare the effects of an adapted Screening, Education, and Brief Intervention (Adapted SBI) for alcohol misuse following traumatic brain injury (TBI) to a Screening and Education with Attention Control (SEA) condition.

Study Design: A single-masked, parallel group, randomized controlled trial was conducted with 58 participants who were 18 and older, sustained a TBI requiring inpatient rehabilitation, had a history of alcohol misuse, were English-speaking, cleared posttraumatic amnesia, were free of language impairments precluding participation in the intervention, and who provided informed consent. Outcomes were collected at 3, 6, and 12 months postdischarge. The primary outcome was drinks per week at 12 months postdischarge.

Results: Participants in both conditions reduced alcohol use following their injury. The number of drinks per week at 12 months did not differ between the treatment conditions; the number of drinks consumed across the entire sample was very low (median = 0). A lower percentage of participants in the Adapted SBI condition resumed alcohol use by 12 months postdischarge (32% vs. 62% in the SEA condition, < .05). No significant differences were found on other outcomes (binging, facts recalled about the negative effects of alcohol, drug use). The inclusion of a booster session did not appear to alter the intervention effects. The interventions did not impact other healthy behaviors, however healthy eating and stress management practices were associated with abstaining from alcohol use at the 12-month follow-up.

Conclusions/implications: While alcohol misuse generally declines postinjury, by 12 months postdischarge many individuals resume alcohol use. Adapted SBI may slow the resumption of alcohol use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).