Dismantling motivational interviewing: effects on initiation of behavior change among problem drinkers seeking treatment
Open accessAbstract
Motivational interviewing (MI) is an efficacious treatment for alcohol use disorders. MI is thought to enhance motivation via a combination of 2 therapeutic strategies or active ingredients: 1 relational and 1 directional. The primary aim of this study was to examine MI's hypothesized active ingredients using a dismantling design. Problem drinkers (N = 139) seeking treatment were randomized to 1 of 3 conditions: MI, relational MI without the directional elements labeled spirit-only MI (SOMI), or a nontherapy control condition and followed for 8 weeks. Those assigned to MI or SOMI received 4 sessions of treatment over 8 weeks. All participants significantly reduced their drinking by Week 8, but reductions were equivalent across conditions. The hypothesis that baseline motivation would significantly moderate condition effects on outcome was generally not supported. Failure to find support for MI's hypothesized active ingredients is discussed in the context of the strengths and limitations of the study design. (PsycINFO Database Record
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References 49 · Cited by 39
Research works printed but not linked: 9
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- Authors
- Morgenstern, J., Kuerbis, A., Houser, J., Levak, S., Amrhein, P., Shao, S., & McKay, J. R.
- Affiliations
- Northwell Health (US)
- City University of New York (US)
- Montclair State University (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Venue
- Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
- Published
- 2017-11
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 751-762
- ISSN
- 0893-164X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1501
- PMC
- PMC6121710
- OpenAlex
- W2757508908
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 3.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Psychology of Addictive Behaviors (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- CUNY Academic Works (City University of New York) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01 AA020077)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Keywords
- motivational interviewing, alcoholism treatment, problem drinkers, active ingredients, alcohol consumption reduction
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Alcoholism, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Research Design, Treatment Outcome, Motivational Interviewing
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