Twelfth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Young people are considered at risk for heavy cannabis and alcohol use. There is a wide range of behavioral interventions that have shown some level of effectiveness on cannabis and alcohol use rates, but their spread is not often supported by empirical evidence. This study aims to systematically gather and analyze narratively published RCTs assessing behavioral interventions for reduction of cannabis and alcohol consumption in young adults. We searched in MEDLINE, Embase, APA PSYCNET, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for RCTs published in English that examined the effectiveness of behavioral interventions on cannabis and alcohol consumption. The reporting quality of included studies was assessed through the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) tool. We screened 207 abstracts and identified 11 randomized controlled trials that meet our inclusion criteria. Nine studies included motivational interview as primary theoretical approach and four brief motivational interview combined with behavioral economics. Eight focused on cannabis use reduction. Short length and not in person delivery formats were frequently reported. In conclusion, interventions that reported higher retention rates and statistically significant results were delivered online and focused mostly on cannabis use reduction. Regarding effectiveness, only the combination of motivational interview and behavioral economics for cannabis and alcohol use reduction reported significant results after follow-up with a high retention rate, though evidence of high risk of bias reduces confidence. Besides, behavioral interventions embedded into public policies at institutional, local, or national levels could result in positive outcomes as well as long-term effectiveness.