MOTIVATION TO CHANGE AS A PREDICTOR OF TREATMENT OUTCOME FOR ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE-ABUSERS

The Problem Recognition Questionnaire (PRQ), a 24-item measure of adol escent motivation for drug use change and readiness for treatment, was examined with respect to its reliability, factor structure, and predi ctive validity. The PRQ was administered at intake to 234 adolescents admitted for residential or nonresidential chemical dependency treatme nt. The PRQ showed a high level of internal consistency (alpha=.91). T hree factors were derived and interpreted as representative of the sta ges of change proposed by Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross (1992), Outcome was measured at discharge and 6-month follow-up. High scores o n the PRQ (representing a higher level of motivation/readiness) were p redictive of some posttreatment variables (change in drug use and abst inence), but not the discharge variables. These results indicate that the PRQ has acceptable reliability and some potential as a prognostic indicator for adolescent drug abuse treatment outcome.