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Abstract
Alcohol use is well documented as a public health issue and a significant contributor to violent injury (Lam & Chim, 2010; World Health Organization, 2006). The purpose of this research was to examine the difference between violently and nonviolently injured trauma patients, namely the difference in AUDIT item responses, the change in risky drinking from the initial intervention to the 6-month follow up, and other factors, including resistance, quality of life, urine drug screen, insurance status, age and race. The AUDIT (Babor, Higgins-Biddle, Saunders, & Monteiro, 2001) instrument was used to assess risky drinking and the change in risky drinking. The other variables were obtained from patient self-report and patient records. This study employed a retrospective analysis of data from a clinical randomized trial entitled the Teachable Moment. A total of 333 participants were included for the analysis between the violently injured and nonviolently injured to examine the differences between the violently injured and nonviolently injured trauma patients. There was no difference indicated in the initial individual AUDIT item responses between the groups. However, a reduction in risky drinking was found for both groups. Likewise, a reduction in each individual AUDIT item response was found for both groups. Analysis also did not indicate a difference in the factors of age, urine drug screen, quality of life or resistance between the two groups. A difference in race and insurance status was found with 28% of the violently injured patients without insurance and 48% of the nonwhite patients with violently injury. For the second part of the study, the data of 73 participants who were violently injured were included. The differences among only the violently injured patients, such as factors of resistance, urine drug screen, type of violently injury, race, age and risky drinking at the initial brief counseling intervention and the change in risky drinking between the initial a six month follow up, were also studied. A simultaneous linear regression was intended to examine the differences in the factors and risky drinking and the change in risky drinking. However, a Pearson Bivariate correlation found that the variables were not related, and therefore a regression analysis could not be employed. The lack of significance highlights the need for future research to continue to investigate factors associated with risky drinking of violently injured patients and the brief alcohol counseling interventions provided.