Natural language processing of patient in-session speech to predict brief motivational interviewing alcohol intervention response: an exploratory study.

Background Motivational interviewing (MI) is a patient-centred, goal-oriented psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and numerous other conditions. While some language patterns have been linked to MI response, less is known about how broader linguistic features, sentiment, and engagement relat...

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Publicado en:Alcohol & Alcoholism Vol. 61; no. 4; pp. 1 - 13
Autores principales: Elsayed, Mahmoud, Belisario, Kyla L, Blakely, Ashley, Syan, Sabrina K, Levitt, Emily, Garber, Molly, MacKillop, Emily, Balodis, Iris, Sweet, Lawrence H, MacKillop, James
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Jul2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jul2026
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        atl: Natural language processing of patient in-session speech to predict brief motivational interviewing alcohol intervention response: an exploratory study.
      aug:
        au:
          Elsayed, Mahmoud
          Belisario, Kyla L
          Blakely, Ashley
          Syan, Sabrina K
          Levitt, Emily
          Garber, Molly
          MacKillop, Emily
          Balodis, Iris
          Sweet, Lawrence H
          MacKillop, James
        affil: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, CanadaPeter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, L9C 1G2, Hamilton, Canada
      sug:
        subj:
          Natural Language Processing
          Speech and Language Assessment
          Linguistics
          Motivational Interviewing
          Psychotherapy, Brief
          Alcohol-Related Disorders Therapy
          Treatment Outcomes
          Funding Source
          Ontario
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Exploratory Research
          Patient Centered Care
          Feedback
          Alcohol Drinking
          Sentiment Analysis
          Emotions
          Linear Regression
          Prediction Models
          Descriptive Statistics
          Motivation
          Multivariate Analysis
          Prospective Studies
          Audiorecording
          Scales
          Interviews
          Algorithms
          Paired T-Tests
          Power Analysis
          Data Analysis Software
          Multiple Regression
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Background Motivational interviewing (MI) is a patient-centred, goal-oriented psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and numerous other conditions. While some language patterns have been linked to MI response, less is known about how broader linguistic features, sentiment, and engagement relate to post-intervention drinking. This study used natural language processing to examine these associations and clarify mechanisms through which MI for AUD exerts its effects. Methods Adults with AUD (N  = 68) completed a single MI session with structured feedback and discussion of potential drinking changes. Speech transcripts were analysed for change-, emotion-, motivation-, substance-, and health-related words. Sentiment analysis assessed emotional polarity, and engagement was measured by total words spoken. Linear regression models tested associations between linguistic features and drinking outcomes, including drinks/week, percent heavy drinking days (%HDD), and percent drinking days (%DD). Results Participants showed significant reductions in drinks per week and %DD. Consistent with recent reviews of MI predictors, linguistic analyses found that greater use of change talk and health-related language was associated with more drinks per week at follow-up, whereas greater emotional talk and positive sentiment predicted fewer drinks per week. Health- and substance-related language predicted higher %HDD, while social motivation-related language predicted lower %DD. Term-frequency and multivariate analyses supported these patterns. Conclusions Via natural language processing of MI speech, linguistic features such as motivational content and sentiment were linked to drinking outcomes. Findings demonstrate the potential of this approach as a scalable, data-driven complement to traditional coding systems, with applications for real-time feedback, clinician training, and personalized interventions.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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