Measuring Readiness to Change Substance Use, Alcohol Use, and Cannabis Use: An Experimental Manipulation of Cognitive Effort

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank J Schwebel ◽  
Jude G. Chavez ◽  
Matthew Pearson

The Transtheoretical Model supports that readiness to change should predict actual substance-related behavior change, though this relationship is surprisingly modest. Across several behavioral domains, individuals tend to have unrealistic expectations regarding the amount of effort and time required to successfully change one’s behaviors, dubbed the False Hope Syndrome. Based on the False Hope Syndrome, we expect that the standard method of measuring self-reported readiness to change is inaccurate and overestimated. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally manipulated the level of cognitive effort or focus on the practical implications of changing substance use prior to completing readiness to change measures. College students from a large southwestern university who reported using substances in the past 30 days (n = 345) were recruited from a psychology department participant pool to complete this experimental study online. Participants were randomized to one of three conditions: 1) standard low effort condition, 2) medium effort condition (had to select likes/dislikes of substance use, and negative consequences of changing one’s use), and 3) high effort condition (also provided text responses to how they would handle difficult situations related to changing their substance use). We conducted one-way ANOVAs with Tukey post-hoc comparisons to examine differences on three measures of readiness to change: the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) scale for overall substance use as well as the readiness and motivation rulers for overall substance use, alcohol use, and cannabis use. Contrary to our hypothesis, all significant statistical tests supported higher cognitive effort conditions reporting higher readiness to change. Although effect sizes were modest, higher cognitive effort appeared to increase self-reported readiness to change substance use. To address the present study’s limitations, additional work is needed to test how self-reported readiness to change relates to actual behavior change when assessed under the different effort conditions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 117822182110045
Author(s):  
Zelalem Tadese Feyisa

All the associated risk factors were not equally responsible for influencing individuals either in alcohol use, khat use, tobacco, or cannabis use. This study attempted to examine sociocultural factors influencing university students in substance use by comparing one with another. A cross-sectional study was carried out. The study used a quantitative approach to collect data from 384 students. Compared with their involvement in khat use, female students were positively influenced in cigarette and hashish use (Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR = 1.102, 95% CI: 1.056, 1.149) and alcohol use (AOR = 1.066, 95% CI: 1.021, 1.113). The involvement of students in alcohol use (AOR = 0.884, 95% CI: 0.838, 0.932) and cigarettes and hashish use (AOR = 0.909, 95% CI: 0.866, 0.953) were negatively associated with stress related to their academic activities. The involvement of students in alcohol use (AOR = 0.942, 95% CI: 0.906, 0.979) was negatively associated with parental influences; involved in alcohol use (AOR = 0.445, 95% CI: 0.210, 0.941) was negatively associated with the thoughts of considering substances as an energizer. The involvement of students in alcohol use (AOR = 4.980, 95% CI: 1.614, 15.368) was positively associated with peer influences. It was, thus, suggested that the management of Haramaya University should work on creating awareness of the negative consequences of substance use. Concerned professionals, including sociologists, psychologists, and health workers, should work on raising students’ awareness as it was possible to undertake their studies without substance use. Moreover, the university management is strongly recommended to expand recreational centers within the campus. Lastly, Haramaya woreda administration should restrict the availability and accessibility of these substances around the campus.


Psychologica ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-22
Author(s):  
Flaviane Bevilaqua Felicíssimo ◽  
Víviam Vargas Barros ◽  
Sabrina Maura Pereira ◽  
Natália Quintela Rocha ◽  
Lélio Moura Lourenço

Introdução: O estudo sobre o álcool tem aumentado em todo o mundo devido ao seu impacto social e econômico, e as doenças relacionadas ao uso de álcool estarem entre os distúrbios mais comuns de abuso de substâncias. Desta forma, faz-se necessário investigar os métodos mais eficazes e adequados de tratamento para diferentes populações. Método: Este trabalho analisou a literatura científica sobre o Modelo Transteórico de Mudança de Comportamento relacionados ao consumo de álcool. Foram consultadas as bases de dados Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, PepsiCo e Lilacs, utilizando os descritores transtheoretical model, transtheoretical approach, stages of change, processes of change e cycle of change cruzado com o descritor alcoholism, no período de dez anos (2001 a 2011). Principais resultados: A maioria das pesquisas encontradas utilizavam métodos longitudinais e quantitativos, além de uma prevalência no uso dos questionários Readiness to Change Questionnaire e University of Rhode Island Change Assessment utilizados na mensuração do ModeloTransteórico. Os resultados indicaram que outras variáveis podem influenciar o comportamento do indivíduo em relação à sua fase de mudança de comportamento e identificou problemas relacionados ao uso de álcool em pacientes que procuravam tratamento para outras condições de saúde. Esta constatação reforça a necessidade de práticas de triagens para a prevenção dos agravos relacionados ao uso de álcool.Implicações: O modelo Transteórico é importante no processo de mudança de comportamento, uma vez que permite a identificação dos estágios e a escolha de intervenções mais adequadas ao estágio do paciente, além de evitar que esforços sejam feitos na direção contrária à necessidade do usuário. Conclusão: Ressalta-se a necessidade de mais estudos na área, especialmente em relação às práticas de profissionais de saúde.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Nakabayashi ◽  
Giselle Rha-isa Melo ◽  
Natacha Toral

Abstract Background Literature has shown a tendency of inadequate dietary intake among youth, consequently, nutritional interventions are required. The transtheoretical model (TTM) classifies individuals based on their readiness to change. This model is widely used for health education interventions with proven efficacy. Purpose This review aimed to weigh the strength of evidence about the TTM usage in nutritional interventions for adolescents and its effectiveness regarding dietary intake. Methods This study followed the PRISMA guidelines. Eligible studies were input into Mendeley software. The Adolec, Google Scholar, LILACS, PsycINFO, PubMed, Science Direct and Web of Science databases were searched. Only full original articles written in English, Spanish or Portuguese on randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs that applied the TTM in the design of nutritional interventions targeting adolescents were included, with no restrictions on publication date. The quality and risk of bias was evaluated with the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Results The initial search yielded 3779 results. Three studies were rated as strong, six as moderate and five as weak. The final sample of 14 articles included adolescents that were mostly recruited from schools, with interventions ranging from one month to three years. The TTM was used alone or combined with other behavior-change theories and most of the interventions involved digital technology. The nutritional topics covered included fruit and vegetable consumption, low-fat diet, and cooking skills. Four studies presented improvement in fruit and vegetable consumption and four progressed through stages of change. Participants from two interventions reduced fat intake. At the end of one intervention, all the participants were in action and maintenance stages. Conclusion The TTM seems to be a successful strategy for nutritional intervention aiming at improving dietary intake in adolescents. Its application in different contexts shows that the TTM is flexible and possible to be implemented in many settings. The use of the model is shown to be restricted to the stage of change’ construct. Further studies should use all constructs of the TTM in the design and compare the TTM with other behavior-change theories to better understand its effectiveness.


2004 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Paul ◽  
Nancee V. Sneed

Appropriate management of chronic heart failure and its signs and symptoms requires a considerable amount of participation by patients. Behavioral changes that prevent or minimize signs and symptoms and disease progression are just as important as the medications prescribed to treat the heart failure. The most difficult lifestyle changes include smoking cessation, weight loss, and restriction of dietary sodium. The Transtheoretical Model is a framework for assessing and addressing the concept of readiness for behavior change, which occurs in a 6-step process. The model consists of 3 dimensions: the stages of change, the processes of change on which interventions are based, and the action criteria for actual behavior. The stages of change are discussed, and interventions are presented to assist patients with heart failure in progressing through those stages toward maintenance of changed lifestyle behaviors. Methods for measuring the level of readiness for change of patients with heart failure are also presented, because correct staging is required before appropriate interventions matched to a patient’s stage can be delivered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1155-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley B West ◽  
Kelsey M Bittel ◽  
Michael A Russell ◽  
M Blair Evans ◽  
Scherezade K Mama ◽  
...  

Abstract The transition from adolescence into emerging adulthood is marked by changes in both physical activity and substance use. This systematic review characterized associations between movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary behavior) and frequently used substances (alcohol, cannabis) among adolescents and emerging adults to inform lifestyle interventions that target multiple behavior change outcomes. This systematic review was guided by PRISMA. Electronic databases of PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched from inception through June 25, 2019. The search was designed to identify empirical studies reporting an association between physical activity or sedentary behavior and alcohol or cannabis, with search criteria determining eligibility based on several sampling characteristics (e.g., participants under 25 years of age). After identifying and screening 5,610 studies, data were extracted from 97 studies. Physical activity was positively associated with alcohol use among emerging adults, but the literature was mixed among adolescents. Sedentary behavior was positively associated with alcohol and cannabis use among adolescents, but evidence was limited among emerging adults. Self-report measures were used in all but one study to assess these behaviors. Physical activity is linked to greater alcohol use among emerging adults. Whereas existing studies demonstrate that sedentary behavior might serve as a risk marker for alcohol and cannabis use among adolescents, additional primary research is needed to explore these associations in emerging adults. Future work should also use device-based measures to account for timing of and contextual features surrounding activity and substance use in these populations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vajira Dharmawardene ◽  
David B Menkes

Objective: We examined the extent to which ethnicity, cannabis and alcohol use could predict prevalence of violence and self-harm in an inpatient psychiatric sample. Method: We collected demographic and clinical data in a series of 141 adult psychiatric inpatients in Hamilton, New Zealand. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test, Revised (CUDIT-R) were used to measure substance use. Clinical assessment and file review were used to verify histories of self-harm and violence. Results: It was found that 66% had a history of violence, 54% of self-harm, and 40% of both; only 20% had neither. Cannabis use was found to significantly predict lifetime history of violence ( p = 0.02); other independent variables (gender, age, ethnicity, alcohol use, psychiatric diagnosis) did not. Self-harm was strikingly predicted by female gender ( p < 0.001), as well as by measures both of cannabis ( p = 0.025) and alcohol use ( p = 0.036); age, ethnicity and diagnosis did not reach significance. Less than 10% of patients were engaged with drug or alcohol services. Conclusions: Cannabis use is a significant predictor of lifetime violence among the severely mentally ill, while both alcohol and cannabis use predict self-harm. Few affected patients receive specific treatment for substance use comorbidity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nibene Habib Somé ◽  
Samantha Wells ◽  
Daniel Felsky ◽  
Hayley A. Hamilton ◽  
Shehzad Ali ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Mental health problems and substance use co-morbidities during the COVID-19 pandemic are a public health priority. Identifying individuals at high-risk of developing these problems can directly inform mitigating strategies. We aimed to identify distinct groups of individuals (i.e., latent classes) based on patterns of self-reported mental health symptoms and investigate associations with alcohol and cannabis use.Methods: We used data from six successive waves of a web-based cross-sectional survey of adults aged 18 years and older living in Canada (6,021 participants). We applied latent class analysis to three domains of self-reported mental health: anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Logistic regression was used to characterize latent class membership, estimate the association of class membership with alcohol and cannabis use, and perform sex-based analyses.Results: We identified two distinct classes: 1) individuals with low scores on all three mental health indicators (no/low-symptoms) and 2) those reporting high scores (high-symptoms). Those at greater risk of being in the high-symptoms class were likely to be women (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) =1.34, 95%CI:1.18-1.52), people worried about getting COVID-19 (aOR=2.39, 95%CI:2.02-2.82), and those with post-secondary education (aOR=1.26, 95%CI:1.02-1.55). Asian ethnicity (aOR=0.78, 95%CI:0.62-0.97), married status (aOR=0.71, 95%CI:0.59-0.85), seniors (aOR=0.38, 95%CI:0.32-0.47), individuals in households with income higher than CAD$40,000: $40,000-$79,000 (aOR=0.73, 95%CI:0.60-0.90), $80,000-$119,000 (aOR=0.60, 95%CI:0.48-0.74) and $120,000+ (aOR=0.47, 95%CI:0.37-0.59) were at lower odds of being in the high-symptoms class. Individuals in the high-symptoms class were more likely to use cannabis at least once a week (aOR=2.25, 95%CI:1.90-2.67), drink alcohol heavily (aOR=1.69, 95%CI:1.47-1.95); and increase the use of cannabis (aOR=3.48, 95%CI:2.79-4.35) and alcohol (aOR=2.37, 95%CI:2.05-2.73) during the pandemic. Women in the high-symptoms class had higher odds of increasing alcohol use than men.Conclusions: We identified the determinants of experiencing high-symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, and found a significant association with alcohol and cannabis consumption. This suggests that initiatives and supports are needed to address mental health and substance use multi-morbidities, particularly regarding alcohol use in women.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Nakabayashi Langamer ◽  
Giselle Rha-isa Melo ◽  
Natacha Toral

Abstract Background Literature has shown a tendency of inadequate eating habits among youth, consequently, nutritional interventions are required. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) classifies individuals based on their readiness to change. This model is widely used for health education interventions and it has been associated with positive results. Purpose This review aimed to describe how the TTM has been applied to nutritional interventions for adolescents. Methods The Adolec, Google Scholar, LILACS, PsycINFO, PubMed, Science Direct and Web of Science databases were searched. Only full original articles written in English, Spanish or Portuguese on randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs that applied the TTM to nutritional interventions targeting adolescents were included, with no restrictions on publication date. Results The initial search yielded 3779 results, of which 13 were included. Two more articles were added after a search update, totaling 15 articles. The included adolescents were mostly recruited from schools, and the duration of the studies ranged from one month to three years. The TTM was used alone or combined with other behavior-change theories. Nine interventions had positive results. The participants in six studies progressed through stages of change or improved decisional balance. Conclusion There are some limitations related to the studies included in this review, such as the differences in design and intervention exposure time, as well as using the TTM in association with other behavior-change theories. Nevertheless, the TTM seems to be a successful strategy for nutritional intervention in adolescents. Further studies comparing the TTM with other behavior-change theories should be conducted to better understand its effectiveness.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 226-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica U. Ramlakhan ◽  
Reza Zomorrodi ◽  
Jonathan Downar ◽  
Daniel M. Blumberger ◽  
Zafiris J. Daskalakis ◽  
...  

Substance use disorders (SUDs) have a devastating impact on society and place a heavy burden on health care systems. Given that alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use have the highest prevalence, further understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of these SUDs is crucial. Electroencephalography is an inexpensive, temporally superior, and translatable technique which enables investigation of the pathobiology of SUDs through the evaluation of various event-related potential components, including mismatch negativity (MMN). The goals of this review were to investigate the effects of acute and chronic alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use on MMN among nonpsychiatric populations and patients with comorbid psychosis. A literature search was performed using the database PubMed, and 36 articles met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. We found a pattern of attenuation of MMN amplitude among patients with alcoholism across acute and chronic alcohol use, and this dysregulation was not heritable. Reports were limited, and results were mixed on the effects of acute and chronic tobacco and cannabis use on MMN. Reports on comorbid SUDs and psychosis were even fewer, and also presented mixed findings. These preliminary results suggest that MMN deficits may be associated with SUDs, specifically alcohol use disorder, and serve as a possible biomarker for treating these common disorders.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Anum Masroor ◽  
Rikinkumar S. Patel ◽  
Narmada N. Bhimanadham ◽  
Sanjeetha Raveendran ◽  
Naveed Ahmad ◽  
...  

Objective: Our study aimed to compare the demographic characteristics of conduct disorder (CD) inpatients versus other psychiatric inpatients in children and adolescents, and assess the association between conduct disorder patients and the spectrum of substance use disorders (SUD). Methods: We included 800,614 psychiatric adolescent (12–18 years) inpatients, and this included 8885 inpatients (1.1%) primarily for conduct disorder in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2010–2014). ICD-9 codes were used to detect SUD, and a logistic regression model was used to evaluate the odds ratio (OR) for SUD in conduct disorder inpatients. Results: A higher proportion of conduct disorder inpatients were of 12–15 years of age (62.6%), male (64.4%), and White (45.7%). The lower median household income was correlated with a higher prevalence of conduct disorder (36.4%). Among SUD, cannabis use (23.7%) was most prevalent in conduct disorder inpatients followed by tobacco and alcohol use (10.1% each). Conduct disorder inpatients have 1.7-fold higher odds (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52–1.82) for alcohol use and 1.4-fold higher odds (95% CI 1.31–1.49) for cannabis use compared to the non-conduct disorder inpatients. Cannabis use was seen significantly in adolescents (49.1%, 12–15 years), male (75.6%), and African Americans (45.6%). Conclusion: Conduct disorder inpatients have a higher risk of comorbid SUD compared to other psychiatric illnesses. The most common substance to be abused is cannabis followed by tobacco and alcohol. Varying pattern of substance use was seen by demographics and these predictors may help the clinicians for early diagnosis and treatment to improve overall health-related quality of life.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document