%0 Journal Article
%T A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Intervention for Illicit Drugs Linked to the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) in clients recruited from primary health care settings in four countries
%J Addiction
%D 2012
%A Humeniuk, Rachel
%A Ali, Robert
%A Babor, Thomas F.
%A Souza-Formigoni, Maria Lucia O.
%A de Lacerda, Roseli Boerngen
%A Ling, Walter
%A McRee, Bonnie
%A Newcombe, David
%A Pal, Hemraj
%A Poznyak, Vladimir
%A Simon, Sara
%A Vendetti, Janice
%V 107
%N 5
%P 957-966
%X Aims.  This study evaluated the effectiveness of a brief intervention (BI) for illicit drugs (cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants and opioids) linked to the WHO Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). The ASSIST screens for problem or risky use of 10 psychoactive substances,producing a score for each substance that falls into either a 'low', 'moderate' or 'high' risk category. Design.  Prospective, randomized controlled trial in which participants were either assigned to a 3-month wait-list control condition or received brief motivational counseling lasting an average of 13.8 minutes for the drug receiving the highest ASSIST score. Setting.  Primary health care settings in four countries: Australia, Brazil, India and the United States of America. Participants.  731 males and females scoring within the moderate risk range of the ASSIST for cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants, or opioids. Measurements.  ASSIST Specific Substance Involvement Scores for cannabis, stimulants or opioids, and, ASSIST Total Illicit Substance Involvement Score at baseline and 3 months post randomization. Findings.  Omnibus analyses indicated that those receiving the BI had significantly reduced scores for all measures, compared with control participants. Country-specific analyses showed that, with the exception of the site in the United States, BI participants had significantly lower ASSIST Total Illicit Substance Involvement scores at follow-up compared with the control participants. The sites in India and Brazil demonstrated a very strong brief intervention effect for Cannabis Scores (p < 0.005 for both sites); as did the sites in Australia (p < 0.005) and Brazil (p < 0.05) for Stimulant Scores, and the Indian site for Opioid Scores (p < 0.01). Conclusions.  The ASSIST-linked brief intervention aimed at reducing illicit substance use and related risks is effective at least in the short-term, and the effect generalises across countries.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I John Wiley and Sons
%@ 0965-2140
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03740.x