Early motivation, well-being, and treatment engagement of chronic substance users undergoing treatment in a therapeutic community setting.

This study explored the predictors, role and effects of motivation in chronic substance users as they began residential treatment, using the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework. Testing of the SDT model involved a sample of 350 clients from six therapeutic communities across Australia who completed a battery of standardized measures. It was hypothesized that clients with a more autonomous motivational attitude toward treatment would be more likely to engage in the therapeutic process and would report more psychological well-being in the initial stages of the therapeutic process. It was also anticipated that clients who felt supported in an autonomous fashion by therapeutic staff would be more autonomously motivated with regard to being in treatment. Findings provided support for the hypothesized effects.

Development and initial validation of an instrument to measure perceived coercion to enter treatment for substance abuse.

The present study involved 3 phases that led to the development and initial validation of the Perceived Coercion Questionnaire (PCQ), a scale that researchers use to measure perceptions of coercion of drug and alcohol users to enter drug and alcohol treatment. In Phase 1, the authors used focus groups to generate 48 pilot items. In Phase 2, the items were administered to a sample of 158 drug and alcohol users who were in residential treatment within a therapeutic community setting. Item and exploratory factor analyses reduced the number of items to 32, which represented 6 homogeneous and internally reliable subscales. In Phase 3, the PCQ was administered to a second sample of 362 drug and alcohol users. Confirmatory factor analysis led to a final scale of 30 items across 6 subscales that demonstrated sound consistency and validity. Implications for research and practice are highlighted.

The use of legal coercion in the treatment of substance abusers: an overview and critical analysis of thirty years of research.

Drug and alcohol use presents a serious social problem for most countries in the world. Of particular concern is the well-documented relationship between substance use and crime, which has contributed to an increased popularity and willingness to utilize more forceful means to pressure substance users into treatment. Although compulsory/legally mandated treatment is appealing, it has been one of the most fiercely debated topics in the addiction field, raising a number of issues including ethical concerns and motivational considerations. In this context, the most important question to be answered is whether or not compulsory treatment is effective in the rehabilitation of addicted offenders. Regrettably, three decades of research into the effectiveness of compulsory treatment have yielded a mixed, inconsistent, and inconclusive pattern of results, calling into question the evidence-based claims made by numerous researchers that compulsory treatment is effective in the rehabilitation of substance users. The present paper provides an overview of the key issues concerning the use and efficacy of legal coercion in the rehabilitation of substance users, including a critique of the research base and recommendations for future research.

The role of hardiness in stress and illness: An exploration of the effect of negative affectivity and gender.

Past research into the effects of hardiness on stress and health has yielded inconsistent findings, possibly because of a failure to acknowledge the influence of variables such as negative affectivity and gender. This study examined the main, moderating and mediating effects of hardiness in a sample of 130 (50 male, 80 female) randomly selected university staff members. Controlling for negative affectivity, limited evidence was obtained for the direct effects of hardiness on stress and illness. Kobasa's (1979) model that hardiness buffers the effects of stress on illness was supported for males, but not for females. The hypothesis that approach and avoidance coping mediate the hardiness-illness relationship was not supported for either sex, although there was evidence that relative coping mediated this relationship in females. Collectively, the results point to a need to reconsider the conceptualization and measurement of hardiness.