12:30pm - 1:30pm (CDT) | 3173.0 - Exploring potential predictive and moderating factors of commitment to sobriety

Session: Recent Research on Alcohol-Related Harms and Prevention Efforts

Program: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs

Author: Trace Kershaw, PhD

Abstract

Commitment to sobriety is a newer construct aimed to tap into individuals who use substances’ readiness and willingness to engage in treatment. There has been little to no research aimed at understanding the relationship between other well-studied treatment-specific constructs and commitment to sobriety. This study aims to analyze a number of predictive factors of commitment to sobriety, and potential moderators between the predictive factors and commitment to sobriety. Data was collected from N=386 adults in treatment for substance use. We first tested, via backwards stepwise multiple linear regression, potential predictors of commitment to sobriety. We subsequently conducted moderation analyses to evaluate potential moderators for each of the independent variables on their relationship with commitment to sobriety. Potential predictors and moderators were selected based on their significant relationships with substance use disorders in prior research. The regression analysis revealed the significant predictors of commitment to sobriety (p <0.05) were: self-efficacy to maintain sobriety, number of previous drinking days, negative perceptions about their drinking behaviors, positive expectations of alcohol consumption, and use of coping mechanisms. The moderation analysis revealed there is a stronger relationship between commitment to sobriety and negative alcohol expectations for women compared to men (p <0.05). The relationship between commitment to sobriety and more abstinent drinking goals is stronger for those not legally required to be in treatment than for those legally required (p <0.05). Severity of substance use was neither a significant predictor nor moderator, indicating that alcohol-specific constructs may be more predictive of commitment to sobriety. The factors indicated by the model are useful in predicting the level of commitment individuals in treatment for substance use have toward maintaining sobriety. These results may be useful for treatment centers to identify what individuals are potentially in need of more care in order to reduce their risk for relapse.