REGRET, SUBSTANCE-ABUSE, AND READINESS TO CHANGE IN A DUALLY DIAGNOSED SAMPLE

The transtheoretical stages of change model posits that increased read iness to change is associated with greater awareness of the negative c onsequences of substance use. Experiencing regrets implies a greater a wareness of these consequences. Eighty dually diagnosed patients compl eted a 22-item Measure of Substance-Related Regret (MSR) that assessed the intensity, type, idiographic importance of, and emotions associat ed with regrets related to substance use and the Brief Readiness to Ch ange Questionnaire. The MSR yielded a global measure of regret that ac counted for statistically significant amounts of variance in total rea diness-to-change scores (R-2 = .30). Global scores also predicted prec ontemplation and contemplation stage scores, whereas total fear scores associated with regrets predicted action scores. Regret seems to play a complex yet important role in the decision to change substance abus e; (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.