Standardization Study of the Korean Version of the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale for Smoking Cessation (K-SOCRATES-S) and Its Predictive Validity

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to develop the Korean version of the Stage of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale for Smoking Cessation (K-SOCRATES-S) based on the Korean version of the Stages of Readiness for Change and Eagerness for Treatment scale (K-SOCRATES). This paper also demonstrates its reliability and validity among patients with nicotine dependence in South Korea. METHODS: At seven healthcare promotion centers in Gyeonggi-do, 333 male smokers aged 20 to 70 who visited smoking cessation clinic were recruited for this study and the K-SOCRATES-S was administered. After three months, the number of respondents who successfully stopped smoking was assessed by testing their urine cotinine level. Subsequently, exploratory factor analysis was performed to verify the reliability and validity of the K-SOCRATES-S. Also, a logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the variables that can predict the successful cessation of smoking on subscales of the K-SOCRATES-S. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis of the K-SOCRATES-S showed that the scale consisted of three factors: Taking Steps, Recognition, and Ambivalence. The scales measuring Taking Steps and Recognition in this scale had a significantly positive correlation with the scores observed on Kim's smoking cessation motivation scale. The scales measuring Taking Steps and Recognition had a significantly negative correlation with Ambivalence. Overall, the results indicate that the K-SOCRATES-K scale showed high validity. CONCLUSION: The K-SOCRATES-S developed in the present study is highly reliable and valid for predicting a patient's likelihood of success in quitting smoking among patients who want to cease smoking.

Moderate drinking and motivational enhancement therapy

Alcohol consumption rates of Korean men and women are 85.8% and 65.4%, respectively. In regard to the amount of drinking, the highest frequency in men, among 37.2%, was over 10 glasses and in women was 1-2 glasses (1 glass, 12-14 g of alcohol) per day. Moderate drinking was defined as 2 glasses per day for men and 1 glass per day for women. Drinking beyond the moderate level could be risky or problematic. Alcohol related problems such as liver disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, accidents, crimes, injuries, and social and family problems in Korea create a great socioeconomic burden and threaten public health. Evidence-based treatments for problematic drinking, such as brief intervention, behavior change counseling, and motivational enhancement interviewing or therapy, have been suggested. An especially effective method would be motivation enhancement treatment (MET) due to since it is a client-centered approach and enhances self-efficacy based decisional balance. The major techniques of MET are feedback, responsibility, advice about changing, menu of change options, empathic counseling, self efficacy. The success factors for MET are sit squarely, open posture, lean toward patient, eye contact, relax posture. However, scientific accumulation of research results on the benefit of counseling for problematic drinking in Korea is still insufficient to provide the evidence for above treatment techniques.

Recent Psychosocial Therapeutic Approach on Alcohol Dependence / 신경정신의학

Alcohol use disorder is a one of major psychiatric problems in Korea. But after detoxification treatment, relapse is very frequent. Psychosocial therapy is a crucial element in alcoholism treatment and prognosis. There are so many psychosocial treatment modalities. In this article, various psychosocial treatments are explained. The main lists of introduced recent psychosocial treatments on alcoholism are as follows: therapeutic community, cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivation enhancement therapy, twelve step facilitation therapy, network therapy, and other community-based treatment. In Korea, in contrast to the importance of huge alcoholic problems, comprehensive alcoholism treatment system is weak. Therefore well-modified and Korean styled psychosocial treatment programs on alcoholism is requested.