Cross-validation of the Temptation Coping Questionnaire: adolescent coping with temptations to use alcohol and illicit drugs

Experiences and Perspectives of Patients Treated with Methadone on Mental Health Aspect of Lifestyle: A Qualitative Study

Background: Drug abuse and its consequences place a considerable social and economic burden on society. Drug abuse has increased in Iran and reached three times the global average, indicating the need to develop innovative strategies to cope with this phenomenon. Objectives: Following a community-based participatory research approach, the aim was to identify the lived experience of drug users regarding the psychological aspect of their lifestyle. Methods: Narrative inquiry and phenomenological design were applied as the research framework. The use of in-depth interviewees and field notes guided the data collection and analysis. A total of 26 in-depth interviews were conducted with people who suffered from drug use (7 females and 19 males) in 2021. Interviewees ranging from 70 to 90 minutes were conducted in a quiet, private location chosen by the researcher. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed, and analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Data analysis was administered using MAXQDA version 2020. Results: Most of the participants were educated Diploma and above. The participants' age ranged from 25 to 53 years old. During the interview, the subjects were in the following stages, methadone treatment time (n = 26). The analysis revealed four themes, and 11 sub-themes emerged. The themes were as follows: (1) negative emotions; (2) poor psychological capital; (3) poor support; and (4) psychological well-being. Conclusions: The most important problems of people with substance use, in the psychological dimension of lifestyle, include experiencing negative emotions, weak psychological capital, weak social support, unhealthy psychological well-being such as negative self-acceptance, reduced positive relations, not having a purposeful life, and inability to control environmental pressures. Hopefully, this study can help health policymakers develop more effective strategies against drug use.

Motivation and substance use outcomes among adolescents in a school-based intervention

The stages of change (Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance) have been well studied in adult populations. However, fewer studies have examined how the stages of change are related to adolescent substance use. Furthermore, there have been no studies that have examined how the stages of change relate to outcomes in a school-based intervention. To better capture adolescent motivation, we added an additional group to the Transtheoretical Model of Change, which we titled Coerced Action, to represent adolescents that made changes to their substance use despite low problem recognition (representing the internal motivation of Precontemplation and the change behaviors of the Action group). We then examined how the stages of change were related to a thorough assessment of substance use at baseline and corresponding treatment outcomes. Our sample consisted of 264 adolescents (mean age: 16.1, 44.5% Caucasian, 37.5% female) who participated in an 8-week, school-based Motivational Enhancement intervention. Results indicated significant group differences across the stages of change in substance use patterns (alcohol use, negative consequences, affective dysregulation), as well as treatment outcomes (alcohol use and negative consequences). For instance, adolescents in the Action group demonstrated more negative consequences at 16weeks follow-up than those in Precontemplation and Coerced Action, F(1, 3)=8.23, p<.001. The Coerced Action group reported the most alcohol use at 16weeks follow-up, although the finding was not significant when post-hoc tests were conducted. This study provides meaningful support for the assessment of motivation among adolescent substance users within school-based settings.

Effectiveness of Motivational Incentives for Adolescent Marijuana Users in a School-Based Intervention

PURPOSE

This study examined whether adolescents receiving Motivational Interviewing (MI) intervention have different outcomes compared to those receiving Motivational Incentives (Motivational Interviewing combined with Contingency Management; MI+CM).

METHOD

A total of 136 adolescents (from a parent study of 220 adolescents) with problematic substance use were recruited from 8 high schools in Washington State, where they completed either 8-weeks of MI or MI+CM. Frequency of marijuana use was assessed at baseline, at the end-of-treatment, and at 16-week follow-up.

RESULTS

A balanced and matched sample was created using propensity scores, then analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that adolescents who received MI+CM exhibited a greater reduction in use across time (p<.05). Reductions at the end-of-treatment were greater for the MI+CM condition (Cohen's d=-.82) compared to MI alone (Cohen's d=-.33), but did not differ at 16-week follow-up. Adolescents receiving MI+CM showed significantly fewer negative consequences of marijuana use at the end-of-treatment (t1, 124=2.26, p<.05), higher use of coping strategies (t1, 124=3.01, p<.01), and increased likelihood to attend additional treatment for substance use (χ2 1, 124=4.12 p<.05), though hypothesized improvements in motivation and school attendance were not found. Use of coping strategies at the end-of-treatment had a significant indirect effect on the relationship between the intervention condition and marijuana use at the end-of-treatment (F3, 121=10.20, R2=.20, p<.01).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that the inclusion of contingencies into adolescent marijuana treatment decreases the end-of-treatment frequency of marijuana use and related consequences while increasing the use of coping strategies and the pursuit of additional treatment.

Auto-eficácia para abstinência e tentação para uso de drogas ilícitas: uma revisão sistemática

Estudos sobre o processo de mudança nos comportamentos aditivos abordam a auto-eficácia para abstinência e a tentação para o uso de substâncias como aspectos centrais ao entendimento das adições. Este estudo buscou a revisão sistemática de artigos que avaliaram a auto-eficácia (AE) para abstinência e a tentação para uso de drogas ilícitas. Nas bases de dados PubMed, PsychInfo e LILACS, foram utilizados termos: abstinence, self-efficacy, temptation e scale na busca de publicações que relacionassem os descritores a drogas ilícitas. Dos 13 artigos selecionados, cinco aplicaram o mesmo instrumento, três adaptaram medidas e os demais, diferentes escalas. Grande parte dessas ferramentas apresenta situações para serem avaliadas quanto à tentação para o uso ou auto-eficácia para abstinência de drogas em geral.

Reliability and validity of young adults' anonymous online reports of marijuana use and thoughts about use

With growing interest in online assessment of substance abuse behaviors, there is a need to formally evaluate the validity of the data gathered. The current investigation evaluated the reliability and validity of anonymous, online reports of young adults' marijuana use and related cognitions. Young adults age 18 to 25 who had smoked at least one cigarette in the past 30 days were recruited over 14 months to complete an anonymous online survey. Of 3,106 eligible cases, 1,617 (52%) completed the entire survey. Of those, 54% (n = 884) reported past-month marijuana use (65% male, 70% Caucasian, mean age was 20.4 years [SD = 2.0]). Prevalence of marijuana use was reported reliably across three similar items, and interitem correlations ranged from fair to excellent for measures of marijuana dependence symptoms and thoughts about marijuana use. Marijuana use frequency demonstrated good construct validity through expected correlations with marijuana use constructs, and nonsignificant correlations with thoughts about tobacco use. Marijuana frequency distinguished among stages of change for marijuana use and goals for use, but not among gender, ethnicity, or employment groups. Marijuana use and thoughts about use differed by stage of change in the hypothesized directions. Self-reported marijuana use and associated cognitions reported anonymously online from young adults are generally reliable and valid. Online assessments of substance use broaden the reach of addictions research.

Coping with temptations and adolescent smoking cessation: an initial investigation

INTRODUCTION

Although a great deal of research focuses on adolescent cigarette smoking, little is known about the process by which adolescents attempt to stop smoking. Resisting temptations to smoke is one of the key challenges encountered by individuals who attempt smoking cessation. A large body of literature has examined coping with temptation among adult smokers, and research on this issue for adolescents is lacking. To further our understanding in this area, the present study reports on an initial examination of the Smoking Temptation Coping Questionnaire (STCQ). The STCQ, which assesses coping in a social pressure situation involving cigarettes, was adapted from the Temptation Coping Questionnaire, a brief self-report measure of adolescent coping with temptations to use alcohol and other drugs.

METHODS

The present study included 109 adolescent participants (aged 14-19 years) in a naturalistic study of smoking self-change. Participants completed baseline and 6-month follow-up interviews.

RESULTS

Exploratory factor analysis of the STCQ coping scale yielded a single factor including six strategies for coping with temptations. Analyses provided support for the concurrent, predictive, and construct validity of the STCQ. In particular, the coping scale score significantly predicted prospective duration of abstinence for adolescents who engaged in smoking cessation efforts.

DISCUSSION

These results provide preliminary support for the utility of the STCQ. In addition, findings support the role of temptation coping in the adolescent smoking cessation process.

[Perception of temptations to use drugs among persons under treatment]

This study aimed to describe the main circumstances that tempt patients under treatment to use drugs, their relation with treatment time and current drugs use. A descriptive and correlational study was carried out with conventional non probabilistic quota sampling. The sample consisted of 61 participants. The Temptation to Use Drugs Scale revealed an internal consistency of .93. The main circumstances tempting towards drugs use were: being in places where everybody uses drugs, being with somebody who uses drugs, going to parties with friends, seeing somebody who uses and has fun with drugs. The shorter the treatment time, the greater the perception of temptations to use drugs. Those persons who mentioned they use some kind of drugs reported on higher temptation averages than those who do not use these substances. Those mentioning marihuana and other illicit substances as impact drugs demonstrated greater temptation towards drugs use.

Neurocognitive ability in adults coping with alcohol and drug relapse temptations

Coping is important for preventing relapse, but may be utilized differently depending on the individual's level of cognitive functioning. Impaired reasoning, attention, and memory are commonly observed in alcohol-dependent individuals. This study describes the prospective relationship between neuropsychological functioning and utilization of coping strategies in predicting outcome one year after discharge from an inpatient alcohol treatment program. Male veterans (n = 43) hospitalized in an alcohol treatment facility were given structured interviews, coping questionnaires, and neuropsychological testing, and were followed three and 12 months after discharge. Neuropsychological ability moderated the relationship between coping and drinking outcomes one year after treatment. This was particularly true for patients with better neurocognitive functioning. Specifically, patients with higher neurocognitive performances and more maladaptive coping responses, such as self-blame, had a greater percentage of drinking days at follow-up. Alcohol-dependent adults with good neuropsychological functioning may be able to benefit more from coping skills training. For those with neuropsychological deficits, coping skills training may need to take cognitive limitations into consideration.

Stress-coping and temptation-coping as predictors of adolescent substance use

The stress-coping model of addiction posits that stress-coping and temptation-coping skills each make an independent contribution to the likelihood of substance use. Despite the popularity of this model, this proposition has never been examined empirically. The current study tested this proposition using a sample of public high school students (n = 332). Results supported the model, as stress-coping and temptation-coping each accounted for statistically unique and significant variance in teenagers' substance use. In addition, substance-abusing adolescents reported engaging in significantly more avoidance stress-coping and significantly less temptation-coping than demographically-matched nonsubstance-abusing adolescents. Our results replicate and expand previous findings from the stress-coping literature and have implications for future research and intervention efforts in the adolescent substance abuse field.