Alcohol Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alcohol, including details on use, abuse, treatment, health, rehab.

Predictors of alcohol and crack cocaine use outcomes over a 3-year follow-up in treatment seekers.

McKay JR, Foltz C, Stephens RC, Leahy PJ, Crowley EM, Kissin W

Department of Psychiatry, Treatment Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. mckay_j@mail.trc.upenn.edu

This study identified predictors of long-term alcohol and crack cocaine use outcomes in individuals participating in the Persistent Effects of Treatment Study. The domains that were assessed included motivation, self-efficacy, social support, psychiatric severity, employment, housing status, and self-help group attendance at baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 30 month follow-ups. In alcohol users, higher perceived seriousness of substance use problems, self-efficacy, and self-help group attendance, as well as lower social support for substance use, consistently predicted better alcohol use outcomes in the subsequent assessment period. In crack cocaine users, only self-efficacy consistently predicted cocaine use outcomes. Higher self-efficacy during follow-up was predicted by lower perceived seriousness of substance use and lower alcohol use frequency in the prior assessment period, whereas greater self-help group attendance was predicted by greater perceived seriousness of substance use, and lower substance use frequency.

Published 30 March 2005 in J Subst Abuse Treat, 28: S73-82.
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