Kb. Carey et al., Measuring readiness-to-change substance misuse among psychiatric outpatients: I. Reliability and validity of self-report measures, J STUD ALC, 62(1), 2001, pp. 79-88
Citations number
54
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science","Clinical Psycology & Psychiatry
Objective: The high rates of comorbid substance use disorders among persons
living with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) have increased int
erest in assessing and enhancing motivation to change substance misuse in t
his population. This study provides evidence for the psychometric adequacy
of three self-report measures of readiness-to-change. Method: The sample co
nsisted of 84 persons (65% men) with co-occurring substance abuse or depend
ence and an SPMI. After a psychiatric assessment, participants completed th
ree measures of readiness-to-change, which yielded seven subscales: (1) the
Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (ambivalence abou
t change, recognition of substance-related problems, taking steps), (2) Dec
isional Balance Scale (pros of using, cons of using) and (3) the Alcohol an
d Drug Consequences Questionnaire (costs of quitting, benefits of quitting)
. Results: All of the subscales were stable over time, and 6 of the 7 subsc
ales demonstrated excellent internal consistency. Reliability indices were
comparable when analyses were repeated on subsets of participants defined b
y diagnosis, cognitive function, positive symptoms and negative symptoms. A
pattern of theoretically meaningful intercorrelations provided convergent
evidence of validity, and a general lack of relationships with demographic
variables and indices of psychiatric status provided discriminant evidence
of validity. Conclusions. These findings support efforts to quantify readin
ess-to-change substance misuse among pel sons with an SPMI.