Relationships between elementary teachers' enjoyment and students' engagement across content areas and among student groups.

We explored associations among teachers' self-reported enjoyment for teaching mathematics, science, and English language arts and their students' self-reported behavioral engagement in each content area, and how these associations varied depending on student sex and socioeconomic status. Participants included 33 fourth-grade teachers and 443 students from 14 schools in the Southwestern United States. Multiple regression models with cluster robust standard errors was used. Models regressed students' content-area engagement on teachers' content-area enjoyment, controlling for students' initial engagement in that content area and other relevant covariates. Teachers' English language arts and mathematics enjoyment were each positively associated with students' engagement in each content area, and an interaction effect was detected in mathematics whereby lower socioeconomic status students with low-mathematics-enjoyment teachers reported lower mathematics engagement. Findings extend recent research highlighting teachers' emotions, and more specifically positive emotions, as factors that can be leveraged to support student learning, as well as provide more nuanced information about the contexts and student groups for whom these processes may be most relevant. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Expanding Education Researchers' Access to Classroom Observation Data With a Remote and Cost-Effective Video Data Collection Protocol.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated long-term shifts to virtual instruction among most US schools presented notable challenges among education researchers. Ongoing projects conducted in school settings experienced sudden losses of access to teacher and student participants, in many cases leading to severe interruptions to data collection efforts. Perhaps most notably, upon returns to in-person instruction in the 2021/22 academic year most schools instigated strict policies limiting the number of non-school personnel who could enter school buildings, including researchers conducting in-person data collections. As such, many researchers had to find alternative means to gather data. In this paper, we offer a new protocol that we created in response to these challenges that allows for the secure and fully remote collection of video data in school settings. This new protocol not only addressed the immediate needs of the focal study but also addresses some of the most notable barriers to collecting classroom video data in the field of education research at large. In this paper, we describe the initial development and application of this protocol among a local study of elementary teachers, as well as the scaling of this protocol in a study of elementary teachers in multiple states. It is our hope that this protocol can expand education researchers', practitioners', and policymakers' access to classroom video data.

Promoting hope: preliminary investigation into a college-level hope curriculum.

OBJECTIVE: Hope is a malleable, cognitive, motivational skill that supports college student outcomes. We evaluated a college-level curriculum that taught hope skills. PARTICIPANTS: Using a voluntary response sampling method, a total of 50 participants were included in the present study with 25 in each the control and intervention group. METHODS: All students completed surveys on hope at the beginning and end of the semester. The intervention group participated in a 10-week curriculum; students in the control group completed their regular introductory course. RESULTS: The intervention group had a significant increase in hope over the semester. Completing the hope course predicted significantly higher end-of- -semester hope, accounting for the beginning-of- semester hope. CONCLUSIONS: Hope can be taught via a classroom setting using a curriculum that requires limited financial and time resources. Improving college student hope has implications for their academic and well-being outcomes.

Correlating the succession of microbial communities from Nigerian soils to petroleum biodegradation.

Whilst biodegradation of different hydrocarbon components has been widely demonstrated to occur by specialist oil-degrading bacteria, less is known about the impact on microbial communities as a function of oil composition by comparing the biodegradation of chemically complex fuels to synthetic products. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the biodegradation capacity and succession of microbial communities isolated from Nigerian soils in media with crude oil or synthetic oil as sole sources of carbon and energy, and (ii) to assess the temporal variability of the microbial community size. Community profiling was done using 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (Illumina), and oil profiling using gas chromatography. The biodegradation of natural and synthetic oil differed probably due to the content of sulfur that may interfere with the biodegradation of hydrocarbons. Both alkanes and PAHs in the natural oil were biodegraded faster than in the synthetic oil. Variable community responses were observed during the degradation of alkanes and more simple aromatic compounds, but at later phases of growth they became more homogeneous. The degradation capacity and the size of the community from the more-contaminated soil were higher than those from the less-contaminated soil. Six abundant organisms isolated from the cultures were found to biodegrade oil molecules in pure cultures. Ultimately, this knowledge may contribute to a better understanding of how to improve the biodegradation of crude oil by optimizing culturing conditions through inoculation or bioaugmentation of specific bacteria during ex-situ biodegradation such as biodigesters or landfarming.

Methanotrophy by a Mycobacterium species that dominates a cave microbial ecosystem.

So far, only members of the bacterial phyla Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia are known to grow methanotrophically under aerobic conditions. Here we report that this metabolic trait is also observed within the Actinobacteria. We enriched and cultivated a methanotrophic Mycobacterium from an extremely acidic biofilm growing on a cave wall at a gaseous chemocline interface between volcanic gases and the Earth's atmosphere. This Mycobacterium, for which we propose the name Candidatus Mycobacterium methanotrophicum, is closely related to well-known obligate pathogens such as M. tuberculosis and M. leprae. Genomic and proteomic analyses revealed that Candidatus M. methanotrophicum expresses a full suite of enzymes required for aerobic growth on methane, including a soluble methane monooxygenase that catalyses the hydroxylation of methane to methanol and enzymes involved in formaldehyde fixation via the ribulose monophosphate pathway. Growth experiments combined with stable isotope probing using 13C-labelled methane confirmed that Candidatus M. methanotrophicum can grow on methane as a sole carbon and energy source. A broader survey based on 16S metabarcoding suggests that species closely related to Candidatus M. methanotrophicum may be abundant in low-pH, high-methane environments.

Oil Absorbent Polypropylene Particles Stimulate Biodegradation of Crude Oil by Microbial Consortia.

Oil absorbent particles made from surface-modified polypropylene can be used to facilitate the removal of oil from the environment. In this study, we investigated to what extent absorbed oil was biodegraded and how this compared to the biodegradation of oil in water. To do so, we incubated two bacterial communities originating from the Niger Delta, an area subject to frequent oil spills, in the presence and absence of polypropylene particles. One community evolved from untreated soil whereas the second evolved from soil pre-exposed to oil. We observed that the polypropylene particles stimulated the growth of biofilms and enriched species from genera Mycobacterium, Sphingomonas and Parvibaculum. Cultures with polypropylene particles degraded more crude oil than those where the oil was present in suspension regardless of whether they were pre-exposed or not. Moreover, the community pre-exposed to crude oil had a different community structure and degraded more oil than the one from untreated soil. We conclude that the biodegradation rate of crude oil was enhanced by the pre-exposure of the bacterial communities to crude oil and by the use of oil-absorbing polypropylene materials. The data show that bacterial communities in the biofilms growing on the particles have an enhanced degradation capacity for oil.

Adaptive changes of sediment microbial communities associated with cleanup of oil spills in Nigerian mangrove forests.

The objectives of this study were to assess the influence on microbial communities resulting from i) the physical removal of free oil (pre-treatment or post-treatment), and ii) the level of oiling within a contaminated former mangrove forest. Sediment samples were collected before and after the removal of free oil. Before the process of remediation, a highly biodiverse mangrove microbiome which had adapted to history of recurring oil spills was observed. After removing the surface oil, the microbial diversity of the sediments reduced, with members of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria becoming dominant. This indicates that while water flushing reduced overall microbial diversity, it stimulated the growth of a more specialized bacterial community reported to be involved in hydrocarbon biodegradation. These results provide new insights on microbial communities and their succession in mangrove forest sediments, that will be useful for monitoring oil cleaning programs using water flushing to remove free oil.

Effects of DNA preservation solution and DNA extraction methods on microbial community profiling of soil.

Microbial community profiling using high-throughput sequencing relies in part on the preservation of the DNA and the effectiveness of the DNA extraction method. This study aimed at understanding to what extent these parameters affect the profiling. We obtained samples treated with and without a preservation solution. Also, we compared DNA extraction kits from Qiagen and Zymo-Research. The types of samples were defined strains, both as single species and mixtures, as well as undefined indigenous microbial communities from soil. We show that the use of a preservation solution resulted in substantial changes in the 16S rRNA gene profiles either due to an overrepresentation of Gram-positive bacteria or to an underrepresentation of Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, 16S rRNA gene profiles were substantially different depending on the type of kit that was used for extraction. The kit from Zymo extracted DNA from different types of bacteria in roughly equal amounts. In contrast, the kit from Qiagen preferentially extracted DNA from Gram-negative bacteria while DNA from Gram-positive bacteria was extracted less effectively. These differences in kit performance strongly influenced the interpretation of our microbial ecology studies.

Validación de los instrumentos cuantitativo y cualitativo para determinar los factores sociodemográficos que inciden en la accesibilidad al servicio de inmunizaciones en niños menores de 24 meses / Validation of the quantitative and qualitative instruments to determine the sociodemographic factors that affect the accessibility to the immunization service in children under 24 months

La inmunización es una de las intervenciones de salud más exitosas y costo-efectivas, por medio de la cual se pueden prevenir entre dos y tres millones de muertes cada año en el mundo, sigue siendo considerada como una intervención eficaz que salva vidas y evita el sufrimiento; beneficia a los niños porque mejora la salud y la esperanza de vida, también por su impacto social y económico a escala mundial. Objetivo: Validar los instrumentos cuantitativo y cualitativo para determinar los factores sociodemográficos que inciden en la accesibilidad al servicio de inmunizaciones en niños menores de 24 meses. Metodología: El presente estudio es de enfoque mixto (cuanti ­ cualitativo) de corte transversal, exploratorio de tipo descriptivo y de campo, con un enfoque cualitativo fenomenológico diseñado por 3 categorías y codificado de acuerdo al número de participantes. La población como muestra de la investigación es de 100 personas, de las cuales se hizo un estudio piloto de 15 personas para la encuesta y 1 persona para la entrevista a profundidad. Resultados: Al aplicar el criterio de los juicios de expertos, se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados: en el instrumento cuantitativo se obtuvo un promedio de 96 y en el instrumento cualitativo logrando un promedio de 95, ambos resultados equivalentes a muy confiable. Conclusión: El plan piloto da a entender que los instrumentos tienen propiedades buenas para determinar los factores sociodemográficos que incidan a la accesibilidad del servicio de inmunizaciones(AU)

Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions; because of it, two and three million deaths can be prevented each year in the world. It continues to be considered an effective intervention that saves lives and avoid suffering; it benefits children because it improves health and life expectancy because of its social and economic impact on a global scale. Objective: To validate the quantitative and qualitative instruments in order to determine the sociodemographic factors that affect accessibility to the immunization service in children under 24 months. Methodology: The present study is a cross-sectional (quantitative - qualitative) mixed approach, exploratory, descriptive and field, with a phenomenological qualitative approach designed by three categories and coded according to the number of participants. The population as a sample of the research is 100 people, of which a pilot study of 15 people was carried out for the survey and one person for the in-depth interview. Results: When applying the criterion of expert judgments, getting the following results: in the quantitative instrument obtained an average of 96 and in the qualitative instrument achieving an average of 95, both results equivalent to very reliable. Conclusion: The pilot plan suggests that the instruments have good properties to determine the sociodemographic factors that affect the accessibility of the immunization service(AU)

Validación de un instrumento para evaluar el autocuidado de pacientes adultos con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 / Validation of an instrument to evaluate self-care of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Múltiples estudios han evaluado el autocuidado de pacientes con diabetes mellitus, sin embargo, no existe suficiente literatura donde aparezcan instrumentos de recolección de datos validados por juicio de expertos. Objetivo: Elaborar y validar el contenido de un instrumento para evaluar el autocuidado y cuantificar cómo influyen el nivel de actividad física y el régimen de alimentación en la salud de los usuarios. Así como, analizar el estado emocional del paciente adulto con diabetes tipo 2 identificando los riesgos que intervienen en su comportamiento para un mejor autocuidado. a social laboral y personal, segmentadas en 26 preguntas que analizan aspectos de estas personas Metodología: Se realizó una investigación prospectiva, cuantitativa, de corte transversal de tipo analítico descriptivo. Utilizando a una prueba piloto donde con 16 pacientes como población probabilística. El instrumento empleado fue validado por juicio de expertos este contiene aspectos de tres categorías correspondientes. Resultados: la calificación otorgada por los expertos obtuvo 97,6 puntos de confiabilidad, se valora como Muy confiable al ubicarse por encima de 90% en la escala empleada. Como resultado del juicio de expertos al promediar las respuestas se alcanzó 97,6 puntos de "Confiabilidad", por lo tanto, se considera como un instrumento "Muy Confiable". Es decir, que se ubica este resultado en el rango entre 100 y 80 puntos. En cuanto al resultado de la prueba de consistencia interna a través del coeficiente de alfa de Cronbach fue de 0.77, se propuso eliminar un ítem de la primera versión y se elevó la confiabilidad de la escala a 0.80. Además, el tiempo promedio para llenar la encuesta no superó los 10 minutos, alcanzándose un promedio de 8 min 45 segundos durante la aplicación, esto conlleva a una lógica de reproducibilidad y ritmo aceptable en la sucesión de los temas, demostrando no ser complejo para los pacientes. Conclusión: Quedó elaborado un instrumento validado por juicio de expertos, el cual alcanzó 97,6 puntos de "Confiabilidad. El estudio cuantitativo realizado demostró que es bajo el nivel de actividad física y, además, muestran desordenes en su régimen de alimentación. Al analizar el estado emocional de los pacientes adultos con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 se identificaron diversos riesgos para sobrellevar la compleja naturaleza de esta enfermedad(AU)

Multiple studies have evaluated the self-care of patients with diabetes mellitus; however, there is not enough literature where data collection instruments validated by expert judgment appear. Objective: To elaborate and validate the content of an instrument to evaluate self-care and quantify how the level of physical activity and the diet influence the health of users. As well as, to analyze the emotional state of the adult patient with type 2 diabetes, identifying the risks that intervene in their behavior for better self-care. Methodology: It is a prospective, quantitative, cross-sectional, analytical descriptive investigation. Using a pilot test with 16 patients as a probabilistic population. Expert judgment validated the instrument; it contains aspects of three corresponding categories. Results: the qualification granted by the experts obtained 97.6 points of reliability; it is valued as Very reliable as it is above 90% on the scale used. As a result, of the expert judgment, when the responses averaged, 97.6 points of "Reliability" reached; therefore, it considered a "Very Reliable" instrument. That is, this result is located in the range between 100 and 80 points. Regarding the result of the internal consistency test through Cronbach's alpha coefficient, it was 0.77, it proposes to eliminate an item from the first version and the reliability of the scale raised to 0.80. In addition, the average time to complete the survey did not exceed 10 minutes, reaching an average of 8 min 45 seconds during the application, this leads to a logic of reproducibility and acceptable rhythm in the succession of the subjects, proving not to be complex for the patients. Conclusion: Developed an instrument validated by expert judgment, which reached 97.6 points of "Reliability. The quantitative study carried out showed that the level of physical activity is low and, in addition, they show disorders in their eating regimen. The analysis of emotional state of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, identified various risks for coping with the complex nature of this disease(AU)

Effectiveness of Chaetogaster limnaei as a controller of Fasciola hepatica in experimental infections of Galba truncatula.

BACKGROUND: Chaetogaster limnaei is an annelid symbiotically associated with lymnaeid snails as Galba truncatula. This association is considered a preventive mechanism against trematode miracidia infection, including Fasciola hepatica. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Chaetogaster limnaei as a natural controller of Fasciola hepatica in laboratory conditions. PROCEDURES: Fascsola hepatica miracidia were inoculated in parallel into snails carrying Chaetogaster limnaei and snails without the annelid. The degree of infection was measured after 40 days of exposure. Furthermore, the number of annelids per snail was quantified, as well as the ability of Chaetogaster limnaei to devour miracidia at different times of exposure. RESULTS: An effective 70% natural control of Fasciola hepatica in Galba truncatula was observed. The carrying capacity of the snail was established to be of 10.6 ± 1 annelids. Chaetogaster limnaei is a predator of Fasciola hepatica devouring an average of 3.79 ± 0.21 miracidia. The results of these experiments have a potential value as a control measure against fascioliasis in the environment.

The Fungus Tremella mesenterica Encodes the Longest Metallothionein Currently Known: Gene, Protein and Metal Binding Characterization.

Fungal Cu-thioneins, and among them, the paradigmatic Neurospora crassa metallothionein (MT) (26 residues), were once considered as the shortest MTs--the ubiquitous, versatile metal-binding proteins--among all organisms, and thus representatives of their primeval forms. Nowadays, fungal MTs of diverse lengths and sequence features are known, following the huge heterogeneity of the Kingdom of Fungi. At the opposite end of N. crassa MT, the recently reported Cryptococcus neoformans CnMT1 and CnMT2 (122 and 186 aa) constitute the longest reported fungal MTs, having been identified as virulence factors of this pathogen. CnMTs are high-capacity Cu-thioneins that appear to be built by tandem amplification of a basic unit, a 7-Cys segment homologous to N. crassa MT. Here, we report the in silico, in vivo and in vitro study of a still longer fungal MT, belonging to Tremella mesenterica (TmMT), a saprophytic ascomycete. The TmMT gene has 10 exons, and it yields a 779-bp mature transcript that encodes a 257 residue-long protein. This MT is also built by repeated fragments, but of variable number of Cys: six units of the 7-Cys building blocks--CXCX3CSCPPGXCXCAXCP-, two fragments of six Cys, plus three Cys at the N-terminus. TmMT metal binding abilities have been analyzed through the spectrophotometric and spectrometric characterization of its recombinant Zn-, Cd- and Cu-complexes. Results allow it to be unambiguous classified as a Cu-thionein, also of extraordinary coordinating capacity. According to this feature, when the TmMT cDNA is expressed in MT-devoid yeast cells, it is capable of restoring a high Cu tolerance level. Since it is not obvious that T. mesenterica shares the same physiological needs for a high capacity Cu-binding protein with C. neoformans, the existence of this peculiar MT might be better explained on the basis of a possible role in Cu-handling for the Cu-enzymes responsible in lignin degradation pathways.

Histopathology of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in Salvadoran agricultural communities.

INTRODUCTION: For at least a decade, a chronic kidney disease unassociated with diabetes mellitus, hypertension or any of the more common traditional causes, has been reported in Salvadoran agricultural communities. OBJECTIVE: Characterize histopathology of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in patients from Salvadoran agricultural communities, describe renal damage associated with each disease stage, and assess associations between histopathological alterations and sociodemographic variables. METHODS: The study involved 46 patients of both sexes, aged =18 years. After clinical, laboratory and imaging examinations, kidney biopsies were performed and renal tissue assessed for interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, interstitial inflammatory infiltration, sclerosis, increase in glomerular size and extraglomerular vascular lesions (according to the Banff 97 classification used for kidney transplant rejection). Special staining was done: Schiff periodic acid, Masson trichrome and methenamine silver. Immunofluorescence techniques were used to evaluate IgA, IgG, IgM, complement C1q and C3, fibrin, and kappa and lambda light chain deposits. RESULTS: The main findings were interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy with or without inflammatory monocyte infiltration. In addition, generalized sclerosis, increased glomerular size, collapse of some glomerular tufts, and lesions of extraglomerular blood vessels (such as intimal proliferation and thickening and vacuolization of the tunica media) were observed. Interstitial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis were associated with male sex. Sugarcane workers showed more interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy and less glomerulomegaly than other occupational groups. CONCLUSION: The morphological pattern in all biopsies was one of chronic tubulointerstitial nephropathy with secondary glomerular and vascular damage, in different stages of evolution of chronic kidney disease, independent of age, sex or occupation.

[Psychological counselling and motivational psychotherapy in the treatment of drug dependence: assessment of interventions with the CEDRO Lugar de Escucha Program]. / Consejo psicologico y psicoterapia motivacional en drogodependencias: evaluacion de las intervenciones del Programa "Lugar de Escucha"--CEDRO.

The objective of the present research is to assess perception of and levels of satisfaction with the Lugar de Escucha program, as well as its brief interventions using counseling and motivational sessions. The study is of a pre-experimental type, with a single-group pretest-posttest measurement design. The sample was made up of 128 participants (9.4% females and 90.6% males), aged 15 to 51 (mean= 23.65; standard deviation = 7.92), users of cannabis, cocaine base paste, cocaine, inhalants and alcohol who attended the program. Data collection was carried out using Attention Forms (FdA); the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (URICA); the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (CST); and the Cases Follow-up Survey (ESC). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Lugar de Escucha Program, we assessed participants' motivational phases during the first interview and at referral, their level of satisfaction with the service received and the percentage of entrance to different treatment programs of the referred participants. The results on perception and satisfaction confirm a predominance of the program's strengths. With regard to the motivational phases, the findings show that the motivational induction interventions help to establish and maintain the patient's motivation for attitude change and for cessation of the abuse. In this sense, according to the findings, such interventions tend to be more effective when applied to patients in the Precontemplational and Contemplational phases. This suggests the need to work with more homogeneous groups, considering type of drugs, age and gender, and to use pre and post instruments. Likewise, the results suggest the need to classify patients in phases of change; such classification could be a useful tool for the improvement of treatment programs for drug users.

Consejo psicológico y psicoterapia motivacional en drogodependencias: evaluación de las intervenciones del programa “Lugar de Escucha”- CEDRO / Psychological counselling and motivational psychotherapy in the treatment of drug dependence: assessment of interventions with the CEDRO Lugar de Escucha Program

La investigación tiene como objetivo la evaluación de la percepción y satisfacción, así como de las intervenciones breves a través del consejo psicológico y sesiones motivacionales del programa “Lugar de Escucha”. El estudio es de tipo pre-experimental, con un diseño de medición pretest-postest de unsolo grupo. La muestra estuvo constituida por 128 participantes de ambos sexos (9,4% mujeres y 90,6% hombres), con edades comprendidas entre 15 y 51 años de edad (Media =23,65; Desviación estándar = 7,92), consumidores de marihuana, pasta básica de cocaína, clorhidrato de cocaína, inhalantes y alcohol que asistieron al programa. La recolección de los datos se hizo a través de la Ficha de Atención (FdA); la Escala de Evaluación para el Cambio de la Universidad Rhode Island (URICA); el Cuestionario de Satisfacción con el Tratamiento (CST) y la Encuesta de Seguimiento de Casos (ESC). Para medir la eficacia del programa «Lugar de Escucha» se evaluaron los estadios motivacionales de los consultantes, tanto en acogida como en derivación, el grado de satisfacción con relación al servicio recibido y el porcentaje de inserción a los diferentes programas de tratamiento de los consultantes derivados.Los resultados sobre percepción y satisfacción confirman el predominio de las fortalezas del programa. En lo que se refierea las fases motivacionales, se encontró que las intervenciones de inducción motivacional mantienen y afianzan en el paciente la motivación de cambio de actitud y el nivel motivacional para interrumpir el consumo. De esta manera, de acuerdo con lo encontrado, dichas intervenciones tienden a incrementar su eficacia cuando los pacientes inician el proceso de tratamiento en los estadios de precontemplación y contemplación. Ello sugiere la necesidad de trabajar con muestras más homogéneas, considerando el tipo de drogas, edad y sexo, y la aplicación de instrumentos pre y post. Asimismo, lo encontrado sugiere la necesidad de clasificación de los pacientes en estadios de cambio; lo que puede ser una herramienta útil para el perfeccionamiento de los programas de tratamiento en drogodependencias

The objective of the present research is to assess perception of and levels of satisfaction with the Lugar de Escucha program, as well as its brief interventions using counseling and motivational sessions. The study is of a pre-experimental type, with a single-group pretest-posttest measurement design.The sample was made up of 128 participants (9.4% females and 90.6% males), aged 15 to 51 (mean= 23.65; standard deviation = 7.92), users of cannabis, cocaine base paste, cocaine, inhalants and alcohol who attended the program. Data collection was carried out using Attention Forms (FdA); the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (URICA); the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (CST); and the CasesFollow-up Survey (ESC). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Lugar de Escucha Program, we assessed participants’motivational phases during the first interview and at referral,their level of satisfaction with the service received and the percentage of entrance to different treatment programs of the referred participants.The results on perception and satisfaction confirm a predominance of the program’s strengths. With regard to the motivational phases, the findings show that the motivational induction interventions help to establish and maintain the patient’s motivation for attitude change and for cessation of the abuse. In this sense, according to the findings, such interventions tend to be more effective when applied to patientsin the Precontemplational and Contemplational phases. This suggests the need to work with more homogeneous groups, considering type of drugs, age and gender, and to use pre andpost instruments. Likewise, the results suggest the need to classify patients in phases of change; such classification could be a useful tool for the improvement of treatment programs for drug users