Motivational predictors of readiness to change chronic substance abuse

In order to study the motivational context in which chronic substance abuse rs are ready to change, participants were administered a readiness to chang e and a motivational-structure questionnaire. The latter identifies respond ents' salient concerns in various life areas, and the characteristic manner in which they strive for goals to resolve their concerns (i.e., their moti vational structure). Separate factor analyses of the two questionnaires rev ealed (a) two readiness-for-change factors (determination to change and pro blem denial), and (b) two motivational-structure factors (an adaptive and a maladaptive one). Respondents with high scores on the adaptive factor felt committed to goal pursuits from which they expected to derive emotional sa tisfaction, and they felt optimistic about succeeding. The adaptive factor was a significant positive predictor of determination to change and a signi ficant negative predictor of problem denial.