Core Components of Interventions for Prevention of Alcoholism in Adults: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Purpose:The aim of this study was to describe the core components of interventions for prevention of alcoholism in adults and to present basic information for developing intervention programs for problem drinkers. Methods: The key words, 'alcoholism' and 'prevention' were used to search peer-reviewed evidence through ten electronic databases. Six electronic databases in English and four in the Korean language were searched to identify studies done between January 2005 and December 2015. Results: Examination of the fifteen articles revealed six kinds of interventions for prevention of alcoholism: Screening, Brief intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT); Brief Negotiate Interview (BNI); Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET); Screening Interventions Program for Sensible Drinking (SIPS); Stepped Care (SC) and Alcohol Reduction Program. Interventions were mainly focused on assessment of drinking behavior, investigation of alcohol-related problems, building a motivation for change, exploring the expectancies of drinking alcohol, strengthening change of behavior and continuous monitoring using motivational interviewing, empathetic feedback and coaching strategy. Conclusion: Findings show that the core components of interventions for prevention of alcoholism in adults are client-tailored approaches, formation of motivation to change, and continuous monitoring of behavior change. Motivational intervention is necessary to develop practical strategies to promote motivation to change for problem drinkers.