Motivation to Change as a Mediator for the Longitudinal Relationships of Gender and Alcohol Severity With One-Year Drinking Outcome

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective:We examined whether motivation to change mediated the relationships between gender and baseline alcohol severity with drinking outcome at 12-month follow-up in a longitudinal community sample. Method: Data were from baseline and 12-month interviews from the Rural Alcohol Study, a probability sample of rural and urban at-risk drinkers (N = 733) from six southern states. At-risk drinkers were identifi ed through a telephone-screening interview. Measures of motivation (problem recognition and taking action) were the resultant two factors derived from the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale. Items on social consequences of drinking measured alcohol severity. Structural equation models examined relationships between baseline alcohol severity and motivation with drinks per drinking day at 12 months. Results: We identifi ed signifi cant, direct paths between drinking at 12 months and alcohol severity and taking action with an unstandardized estimate of 0.116 (p < .05), alcohol severity and problem recognition (0.423, p < .01), and each of the two "motivation" latent constructs-problem recognition (1.846, p < .01) and taking action (-0.660, p < .01). Finally, the combined direct and negative effect of gender on alcohol consumption at 12-month follow-up was statistically signifi cant, with an unstandardized estimate of -0.970 (p < .01). Conclusions: The current study offers evidence for motivation to change as a viable mechanism through which alcohol severity is associated with subsequent drinking outcomes. More research is needed to further explore the persistence of motivation to change on drinking outcomes over time. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 73, 504-513, 2012)

Factors associated with hazardous alcohol use and motivation to reduce drinking among HIV primary care patients: Baseline findings from the Health & Motivation study

“…Limited research exists regarding factors associated with importance to reduce alcohol use in PWH. Studies in mental health 38 and other high-risk drinking samples 23–25 have indicated that depression severity and alcohol-related problems would be associated with greater importance to reduce drinking, which may be attributed to greater concern for health resulting in increased readiness to change behavior. 38 Highly relevant to the design of clinical interventions to reduce alcohol use among PWH, patients reporting depression and other substance use rated cutting back on alcohol use as highly important.…”

“…We expected that depression severity and alcohol-related problems would be associated with importance/confidence to reduce drinking in PWH, similar to findings in mental health 22 and other high-risk drinking samples. 23–25 These analyses aim to provide new knowledge regarding the burden of problem drinking in a generalizable sample of PWH in primary care. Understanding motivation to reduce use has the potential to improve understanding of substance use patterns and enhance future behavioral interventions in PWH.…”

Alcohol problem recognition and help seeking in adolescents and young adults at varying genetic and environmental risk

“…Studies of adults have explored factors that facilitate or interfere with alcohol problem recognition, beliefs about needing help, and help seeking (Edlund et al, 2009, 2006; Glass et al, 2010; Small et al, 2012). Compared to their middle-aged and older counterparts, young adults with AUD have a particularly elevated risk for denying need for help (Edlund et al, 2009; Oleski et al, 2010).…”

“…Compared to their middle-aged and older counterparts, young adults with AUD have a particularly elevated risk for denying need for help (Edlund et al, 2009; Oleski et al, 2010). Adults with mental health comorbidities such as mood or anxiety disorder symptoms were more likely to recognize their alcohol problems or to believe that they needed treatment than those without such comorbidity (Edlund et al, 2009, 2006; Grella et al, 2009; Oleski et al, 2010; Small et al, 2012). Having a greater number of AUD symptoms was positively associated with perceived need or with help seeking, but having co-morbid drug use disorders was not.…”

Interaction of Motivation and Social Support on Abstinence Among Recovery Home Residents

“…Recent studies have considered the mediational role of motivation to understand how motivation operates in the wider scope of the recovery process (Hunter-Reel, McCrady, & Hildebrandt, 2009; Hunter-Reel, McCrady, Hildebrandt, & Epstein, 2010; Small, Ounpraseuth, Curran, & Booth, 2012). Hunter-Reel and colleagues (Hunter-Reel, et al, 2009), proposed that social network members may provide motivation to resist drinking and motivation may change as a function of these relationships.…”