Hope and Recovery From Substance Abuse for Female Drug Offenders in Taiwan

Abstract

This study was designed to fulfill a twofold purpose. First, based on the hope theory framework and previous research, a 16-session hope-based substance abuse treatment program to help female drug abusers achieve a better recovery was developed. Second, ANCOVA was used to test the effectiveness of this treatment model. The participants were 40 female drug offenders who were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The 20 experimental group participants received 16 sessions of hope-based substance abuse treatment whereas the 20 control group members were put on the waiting list for another term of treatment. The results indicated that the members of the two groups had significant differences in their posttest scores for recovery goal setting and pursuing, pathway controlling, adequate energy, knowledge of the changing process, ability to cope, adequate cognition, emotion regulation, and self-esteem.

Choice and Hope

“…This is especially true when barriers are encountered during the goal pursuit process. The individuals’ strong energy is essential for persevering through the difficulties (Law & Guo, 2011, 2012; Snyder, 2000, 2002; Snyder, Lapointe, Crowson, & Early, 1998). To integrate his thought, Snyder (2000) used the equation “hope = agency + pathway” to express the reciprocal relationships among the components (p. 10).…”

“…Moreover, an increase in pathway thought might be expected to boost the capacity for positive cognitive appraisal (Law & Guo, 2011; Snyder, 1989, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2002; Snyder, Harris, et al, 1991; Snyder, Irving, & Anderson, 1991; Snyder, Ritschel, Rand, & Berg, 2006). Two empirical studies in Taiwan revealed that women convicted of drug offences who practiced pathway thought in hope-based treatment had significantly increased adequate cognition in the posttest, in other words, they showed greater ability to use positive thinking in viewing recovery (Guo & Law, 2013; Law & Guo, 2012). Many scholars have explored the role of hope in cognitive-behavioral therapies and found a positive effect for this combination (Snyder et al, 2000; Taylor et al, 2000).…”

“…Snyder (2000) cited a line from a poem of Coleridge titled “Work Without Hope”: “Hope without an object cannot live” (p. 9). More specifically, hope has to be goal-directed; goals serve as mental targets that human beings have set up to guide their behavior (Guo & Law, 2013; Law & Guo, 2011, 2012; Snyder, 1989, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2002; Snyder, Harris, et al, 1991; Snyder, Irving, et al, 1991; Snyder et al, 2006). In one study, substance-involved clients who were receiving services identified allowing them to make their own choices and set their own goals as an important priority (De Maeyer, Vanderplasschen, & Broekaert, 2009).…”

“…Fortunately, scholars have found that hope is a strong predictor of entering treatment for substance involvement (Jackson, Wernicke, & Hassga, 2003), retention (Hampton et al, 2011), and recovery (Guo & Law, 2013; Law & Guo, 2012; Mathis, Ferrari, Groh, & Jason, 2009). Therefore, instilling hope should be considered essential in the development of substance treatment programs for women (Sowards et al, 2006).…”

Correlation of Hope and Self-Efficacy With Job Satisfaction, Job Stress, and Organizational Commitment for Correctional Officers in the Taiwan Prison System

“…Snyder (2000) used the equation "hope = agency + pathway" (p. 10) to express the reciprocal relationships among the components that comprise hope. Applying the principles underlying Snyder's equation, Law and Guo (2012) have developed and tested the effectiveness of a three-stage hope training program for the substance-involvement recovery population. The first stage aims to enable participants to find hope by reflecting on their personal life stories and exploring how to use their successful past experiences to help solve their current problems.…”