Measuring readiness for change among crack cocaine users: a descriptive analysis.

Area of Science:

• Addiction research
• Psychology
• Clinical assessment

Background:

• Assessing readiness to change is crucial for tailoring addiction treatment.
• The University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (URICA) is a tool used to measure stages of change.
• Previous research has explored URICA's utility across various substance use populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (URICA) in assessing change status among crack/cocaine users in treatment.
• To identify distinct subgroups based on readiness to change within this population.
• To examine demographic and functional differences, as well as treatment outcomes, across identified subgroups.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 235 crack/cocaine users receiving treatment was assessed.
• Cluster analysis was employed to identify subgroups based on URICA scores.
• The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) was used to assess demographic characteristics and functioning at intake and six-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Three distinct subgroups, representing different levels of readiness to change, were identified through cluster analysis.
• No significant differences were found between these subgroups regarding demographic characteristics or functioning as measured by the ASI.
• All identified subgroups demonstrated comparable improvements in ASI life domains from intake to six-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

• The URICA scale is a valuable tool for differentiating stages of change in crack/cocaine users undergoing treatment.
• The identified stages of change do not appear to be significantly influenced by demographic factors or initial functioning levels.
• Treatment appears to yield similar positive outcomes across different stages of readiness to change in this population.