SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF A BRIEF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVENTION WITH CONVICTED DWI OFFENDERS

This study examines the short-term impact of a brief motivational intervention on DWI offenders mandated to receive a substance abuse assessment. Following a comprehensive assessment, participants were randomly assigned to receive one of two interventions; a motivational interviewing-style feedback (MI) session, or a control intervention that included information about the effects of alcohol advertising on drinking behavior (AI). An index of drinking was computed using the percent of days driving after drinking, percent of heavy drinking days (5 or more drinks), and the mean drinks per day. The findings revealed that the MI group had significantly lower scores at follow-up than the AI group. When examining drinking-driving separately, the AI group was over 6 times more likely than the MI group to have driven after drinking in the follow-up period. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference, see ITRD Abstract No. E201067.