Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38490335›Full record

SynthesisJournal of substance use and addiction treatment2024

Identifying brief intervention factors to improve cannabis related outcomes in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review of sample characteristics and intervention components.

Kathryn S Gex, Ruschelle M Leone, Jenna Aungst, Kevin Branson, Kevin M Gray, Rachel L Tomko

Open access · greenAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of substance use and addiction treatment, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Brief Drug Interventions Delivered in General Medical Settings: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cannabis Use Outcomes.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Kathryn S GexDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States. Electronic address: soltisk@musc.edu.
Ruschelle M LeoneDepartment of Health Policy & Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Jenna AungstDeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN, United States.
Kevin BransonDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States.
Kevin M GrayDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States.
Rachel L TomkoDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States.
Medical University of South Carolina · USGeorgia State University · USLincoln Memorial University · US

Funding

DRUG ABUSE TRAINING PROGRAMT32DA007288 · NIDA · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · PI Christopher W Cowan, Rachel Penrod-Martin · 1991 to 2026
$11.8M
Clinical Scientists Training Program in Addictions at MUSCK12DA031794 · NIDA · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · PI Kevin M. Gray, AIMEE L MCRAE-CLARK · 2013 to 2026
$7.2M
Development of an Alcohol, Cannabis, and Sexual Assault Risk Reduction Program for High Risk College WomenK01AA028844 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI LEONE, RUSCHELLE MARIE · 2021 to 2025
$926k
NIAAA NIH HHS K01 AA028844NIDA NIH HHS K12 DA031794NIDA NIH HHS T32 DA007288
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPrior systematic and meta-analytic reviews observed mixed evidence for the efficacy of cannabis brief interventions (BIs). Inconsistent support for cannabis BIs may be the result of intersecting methodological factors, including intervention structure and content, participant eligibility criteria, and outcome assessment measures. The current systematic review of cannabis BI studies narratively synthesizes these data to guide intervention development decision-making in future cannabis BI studies (PROSPERO CRD42022285990).

methodsWe searched PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases in January 2022 and again in June 2023 to capture newly published studies. Studies were included if they were a randomized trial, enrolled adolescents (13-17) and/or young adults (18-30), specified cannabis use and/or problems inclusion criteria, and evaluated a cannabis BI (defined as ≤4 sessions). We extracted and synthesized data on intervention characteristics (e.g., components, length/duration, modality), cannabis inclusion criteria and recruitment setting, baseline cannabis use descriptives and treatment-seeking status, and outcome assessment measures to discern if/how they may intersect to determine intervention efficacy. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2 assessed study quality.

resultsOur search resulted in a final sample of 25 study records including 4094 participants. Recruitment setting seemed to provide an influential backdrop for how well inclusion criteria determined baseline cannabis use level, as well as for the type/length of the BI evaluated. Motivational interviewing (MI) and personalized feedback (PF) were the most frequently used BI components overall; however, some differences were observed in the proportion of BIs with reported intervention effects using MI vs. PF. Frequency of use days was the most commonly used outcome measure, although this may not be the most sensitive measure for assessing cannabis BI efficacy.

conclusionsOur systematic review indicates that cannabis BI studies require greater precision in their design, giving special attention to matching the content and structure of the BI to the needs of the target population and selecting outcomes commensurate to the goals of the BI and the target population to more accurately reflect the efficacy of the BI. However, consistent with prior reviews, all included studies demonstrated at least some concerns for risk of bias, and most were at high risk.

Indexed as

Motivational InterviewingAdolescentAdultHumansMarijuana AbuseYoung AdultAdolescentsBrief interventionCannabisPreventionYoung adults

Identifiers

PMID38490335
PMCPMC11090745
OpenAlexW4392814976

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.