Process measures in interventions for drug-abusing women: from coping to competence

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Addiction Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Substance abuse interventions for women require effective measurement tools.
• Fundamental coping processes are critical for women's resilience and recovery.
• Dysfunctional coping mechanisms contribute to substance abuse in women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To offer a model of fundamental coping processes for guiding measurement in interventions with drug-abusing women.
• To identify critical coping processes essential for women's competence and physical hardiness.
• To outline methods for assessing these coping processes during and after interventions.

Main Methods:

• Proposed a theoretical model of three fundamental coping processes: reinforcer management, challenge management, and affect management.
• Described diverse measurement methods including self-report, behavioral observation, biochemistry, and physiology.
• Recommended specific process and outcome measures for research and clinical application.

Main Results:

• Identified reinforcer, challenge, and affect management as critical coping processes for women's resilience.
• Substance abuse is a likely outcome when these coping processes are impaired.
• Successful recovery necessitates interventions that promote these fundamental coping processes.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive model of coping processes is essential for evaluating interventions with drug-abusing women.
• Multiple measurement strategies are available, catering to different research and resource constraints.
• Recommended measures provide a framework for assessing intervention impact on women's recovery from substance abuse.