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Julia Bahner. Foto: Linnea Bengtsson.

Julia Bahner

Associate professor

Julia Bahner. Foto: Linnea Bengtsson.

Motivational Interviewing as Evidence-Based Practice? An Example from Sexual Risk Reduction Interventions Targeting Adolescents and Young Adults

Author

  • Julia Bahner
  • Karin Stenqvist

Summary, in English

This paper critically examines sexual risk reduction interventions, more specifically how they are evaluated and the implications that this has for sexual health policy. The focus is on motivational interviewing (MI) interventions which aim to promote protective behaviors related to sexual risk on the part of young people. MI has become increasingly popular, largely due to it being a highly flexible counseling approach that may, with adequate staff training, and fidelity in implementation, be tailored to many different settings (e.g., health care, schools and in community work). Following a scoping review that comprised 34 papers, of which 29 were unique studies, the range and type of existing research were examined. The results show a wide range of study designs and evaluation procedures, MI conceptualizations, modes of MI delivery, and the particular sub-populations of youth and sexual risk behaviors targeted. While this makes it difficult to draw any generalized conclusions about “what works” in prevention, it provides important insights about the complexity of sexual risk behavior as well as complex behavioral treatment approaches like MI. We therefore problematize the political drive to implement evidence-based methods without adequate resource allocation and contextual adaptation.

Department/s

  • Professions and Organisation
  • Child, Youth and Family

Publishing year

2020

Language

English

Pages

301-313

Publication/Series

Sexuality Research and Social Policy

Volume

17

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Social Work
  • Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
  • Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

Keywords

  • Evidence-based practice
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Scoping review
  • Sexual health policy
  • SRHR
  • Youth and young adults
  • motiverande samtal
  • sexuell hälsa
  • evidensbaserad praktik
  • intervention and prevention
  • Intervention theory
  • Sexuality

Status

Published

Project

  • Motiverande samtal inom området sexuell hälsa – ger metoden effekt?

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1868-9884