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Relapse in the addictive behaviors: integration and future directions
Stephen A Maisto1, Gerard J Connors
1Center for Health and Behavior, Syracuse University, Center for Integrated Health Care, Department of Veterans Affairs, United States. samaisto@syr.edu
Clinical Psychology Review
|December 20, 2005
Summary
This review highlights methodological advances in addictive behaviors research. Future work should focus on defining relapse and bridging the gap between research and clinical practice for better addiction treatment outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Addictive Behaviors Research
- Relapse Studies
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Relapse is a significant challenge in addiction treatment.
- Existing research on relapse in addictive behaviors has yielded varied findings.
- A comprehensive understanding of relapse triggers and prevention is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify consistencies in findings across review papers on relapse in addictive behaviors.
- To synthesize methodological and substantive advances in the field.
- To outline future research directions for addiction relapse.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of papers within a special issue on relapse.
- Analysis of methodological and substantive findings across multiple studies.
- Synthesis of common themes and challenges in relapse research.
Main Results:
- Major methodological advances have propelled the field forward.
- A biopsychosocial approach is essential for studying relapse.
- Defining relapse operationally across different addictive behaviors remains a significant challenge.
Conclusions:
- Future research should focus on deriving and evaluating relapse definitions.
- Systematic development and testing of relapse models and theories are needed.
- Bridging the gap between relapse research and clinical practice is a key priority.