Predictors of motivation for abstinence at the end of outpatient substance abuse treatment

Abstract

Commitment to abstinence, a motivational construct, is a strong predictor of reductions in drug and alcohol use. Level of commitment to abstinence at treatment end predicts sustained abstinence, a requirement for recovery. This study sought to identify predictors of commitment to abstinence at treatment end to guide clinical practice and to inform the conceptualization of motivational constructs. Polysubstance users (N = 250) recruited at the start of outpatient treatment were re-interviewed at the end of services. Based on the extant literature, potential predictors were during treatment measures of substance use and related cognitions, psychological functioning, recovery supports, stress, quality of life satisfaction, and treatment experiences. In multivariate analyses, perceived harm of future drug use, abstinence self-efficacy, quality of life satisfaction, and number of network members in 12-step recovery contributed 26.6% of the variance explained in the dependent variable, a total of 49.6% when combined with the control variables (demographics and baseline level of the outcome). Gender subgroup analyses yielded largely similar results. Clinical implications of findings for maximizing commitment to abstinence when clients leave treatment are discussed as are future research directions.

Motivation to Change as a Mediator for the Longitudinal Relationships of Gender and Alcohol Severity With One-Year Drinking Outcome

“…In contrast, however, Laudet and Stanick (2010), in a study of motivation to change framed as "commitment to abstinence," found that male gender was a negative correlate of motivation to change (Laudet and Stanick, 2010). In the subanalysis, female gender was correlated with treatment history, end of treatment experience, quality-of-life satisfaction, and the outcome variable commitment to abstinence (Laudet and Stanick, 2010).…”

“…In the subanalysis, female gender was correlated with treatment history, end of treatment experience, quality-of-life satisfaction, and the outcome variable commitment to abstinence (Laudet and Stanick, 2010). In a study that examined early intervention for alcohol use, Freyer et al (2004) also found that women reported higher preparedness to seek help relative to male counterparts.…”

Determinants of personality in the scope of motivation for maintaining abstinence in the case of male alcohol-dependent individuals concluding therapy

“…Deciding to research motivation and the correlates of it results from the fact, well documented by empirical research, that motivation (in particular, the internal one) is one of the strongest predictors of the results of psychotherapy, including in the case of alcohol-dependent individuals (cf. Chodkiewicz, 2012Chodkiewicz, , 2013aCooper, 2010;Laudet & Stanick, 2010). In spite of that, motivation has been devoted relatively little space in research into alcohol-dependent individuals to date; the symptom of that way of thinking is, in accordance with the opinion of Groshkova (2010), the fact that no coherent model including external and internal factors influencing the motivation and the changes in it in the case of alcoholics has been developed yet.…”

Experiences of Sustainable Abstinence-Based Recovery: an Exploratory Study of Three Recovery Communities (RC) in England

“…Positive social support networks are key to supporting those in recovery (Best et al 2015a, b;Litt et al 2009;Stevens et al 2010;Timpson et al 2016). High levels of social support are associated with decreased levels of relapse (Granfield and Cloud 2001;Laudet et al 2006); improved resilience to stress, depression, anxiety, social isolation, and stigma (Best et al 2015a, b;Hester et al 2013); enhanced subjective well-being (Laudet et al 2006); and improved quality of life (Laudet and Stanick 2010;Mericle 2014). Peers and social networks are also integral to the generation of recovery capital (Timpson et al 2016).…”