Feasibility of teaching motivational interviewing to parents of young adults with recent-onset schizophrenia and co-occurring cannabis use

J Subst Abuse Treat. 2014 Mar;46(3):340-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2013.09.006. Epub 2013 Oct 22.

Abstract

This study examined the feasibility of providing motivational interviewing (MI) training to parents of young adults with recent-onset schizophrenia and co-occurring cannabis use. The training was offered in a mental health care setting as part of a family motivational intervention (FMI). Ninety-seven parents were randomly assigned to either FMI or routine family support (RFS). To obtain a measure of parent's MI skills at baseline and 3 months after they completed FMI, their role-play interactions with an actor portraying their child were coded. The coding method had satisfactory inter-rater reliability and internal consistency. At follow-up, parents in FMI showed significantly greater adherence to (p=.03) and competence in (p=.04) MI than parents in RFS. Parents in FMI also demonstrated significantly greater increases in expressing empathy (p=.01). These results demonstrate that FMI is a feasible method for increasing MI skills in parents. Additional research is needed to better understand the unique application of MI to parent-child interactions.

Keywords: Cannabis use; Family intervention; Motivational interviewing; Recent-onset schizophrenia.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Humans
  • Marijuana Abuse / psychology
  • Marijuana Abuse / therapy*
  • Motivational Interviewing*
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Schizophrenia / therapy*
  • Teaching