Brief interventions for alcohol problems: a meta‐analytic review of controlled investigations in treatment‐seeking and non‐treatment‐seeking populations

ABSTRACT Brief interventions for alcohol use disorders have been the focus of considerable research. In this meta‐analytic review, we considered studies comparing brief interventions with either control or extended treatment conditions. We calculated the effect sizes for multiple drinking‐related outcomes at multiple follow‐up points, and took into account the critical distinction between treatment‐seeking and non‐treatment‐seeking samples. Most investigations fell into one of two types: those comparing brief interventions with control conditions in non‐treatment‐seeking samples ( n = 34) and those comparing brief interventions with extended treatment in treatment‐seeking samples ( n = 20). For studies of the…