Talks that build motivation seem to bring small drops in teens' substance use

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   The review pooled 21 studies with 5,471 teenagers aged 12 to 21. Men were a little over half, and most studies recruited from the community rather than clinics.

2. 02

   What they did

   Most studies gave one talking session, and the average was about four. Most comparison groups were not given the talks.

3. 03

   What happened

   Across all 21 studies, teens who got the talks showed a small drop in substance use compared with other groups. The small drop was still there in studies checked later, though the review's own numbers do not match in one place. The review did not check each study's quality or test for missing studies. It also did not rate how sure its results are.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across 21 studies, talks that build motivation led to small drops in teens' substance use compared with other groups.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 21 studies with 5,471 people · vs groups that mostly got no talks · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

2. Helped

   In 4 studies checked less than six months later, the talks still led to a drop in substance use.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 4 studies · vs groups that mostly got no talks · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

3. Helped

   In 7 studies checked more than six months later, the talks still led to a small drop in substance use.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 7 studies · vs groups that mostly got no talks · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

Source