Training primary care providers in motivational interviewing for youth behavior change.

Presented at: 8th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference; June 29-July 2, 2015; San Diego, CA.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/prc-posters-presentations/1049/thumbnail.jp

Has Motivational Interviewing fallen into its own Premature Focus Trap?

Since the initial conception of the behaviour change method Motivational Interviewing, there has been a shift evident in epistemological, methodological and practical applications, from an inductive, process and practitioner-focussed approach to that which is more deductive, research-outcome, and confirmatory-focussed. This paper highlights the conceptual and practical problems of adopting this approach, including the consequences of assessing the what (deductive outcome-focussed) at the expense of the how (inductively process-focussed). We encourage a return to an inductive, practitioner and client-focussed MI approach and propose the use of Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Systems such as NVivo in research initiatives to support this aim

Innovative Routes for Enhancing Adolescent Marijuana Treatment: Interplay of Peer Influence Across Social Media and Geolocation

Peer behaviors are highly influential in youth decision-making around whether to use marijuana. Social media, as a popular form of peer interaction, has extended peer influence on marijuana use from “in-person” to “on-line” relationships. This is highly concerning, as youth may report their marijuana use on social media as it occurs. The immediacy and possible virality of this type of on-line interaction not only is a source of risk, but also may have utility for monitoring and predicting an episode of marijuana use just before it occurs. This article discusses how in-person and on-line peer interactions contribute to youth marijuana use in order to identify triggering social contexts (e.g., in-person co-location of peers, on-line peer influence) associated with marijuana use. The development of an innovative approach to youth intervention for marijuana use, which combines real-time assessment of social media activity and geographic location of youth and a peer, is described

Group motivational interviewing in schools: Development of a health promotion intervention

Objective: In the light of the shortcomings of curriculum-based health promotion in secondary schools, group motivational interviewing provides a potential alternative approach. This two-phase study set out to establish the key components, feasibility and acceptability of a group motivational interviewing intervention, focused on alcohol consumption. Methods:In phase one, focus groups with 12 students and 8 teachers explored issues with existing health education. Phase two involved the development of a one-hour group motivational interviewing session to address the issues raised. The session was delivered to two classes of students aged 13-15 years, facilitated by two motivational interviewing practitioners. Sessions were observed and audio-recorded and coded by two researchers using the Assessment of Motivational Interviewing Groups Observer Scale (AMIGOS). Student acceptability of the session was captured using a satisfaction questionnaire. Results: Sessions were consistent with motivational interviewing principles, providing empathic and focused discussion while maximising participants’ autonomy and strengths. The majority of students felt listened to during the session, considered it was helpful and felt that they could learn more from this kind of experience. Conclusion: A group motivational interviewing session, developed based on key components identified during focus groups, was shown to be acceptable to students and feasible to deliver in secondary schools. The approach requires further research to establish sustainable delivery mechanisms