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Social skills training and cognitive restructuring with alcoholics
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|September 1, 1978
Summary
Cognitive restructuring (CR) showed superior long-term social skills improvement in alcohol-dependent individuals compared to social skills training (SST) and traditional supportive therapy (TST). CR demonstrated lasting benefits beyond immediate post-treatment effects.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Social skills training (SST) effectively increases skills immediately post-intervention.
- The long-term persistence of these skills has not been well-established.
- Investigating alternative therapeutic approaches for sustained social skill improvement is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the long-term effectiveness of cognitive restructuring (CR) versus social skills training (SST) for improving social skills in individuals with alcohol dependence.
- To assess the persistence of social skills gains three months after treatment completion.
- To evaluate the efficacy of CR, SST, and traditional supportive therapy (TST) in modifying social skills and reducing alcohol intake.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 24 hospitalized individuals diagnosed with alcohol dependence.
- Participants were assigned to one of three groups: SST, CR, or TST, each receiving twelve 2-hour sessions.
- Social skills and alcohol intake were assessed immediately before, immediately after, and three months following the intervention using behavioral ratings, nurse ratings, and self-reports.
Main Results:
- Immediately after training, SST significantly outperformed CR, which in turn was superior to TST across all measured outcomes.
- However, at the three-month follow-up, the CR group demonstrated greater sustained social skill increments compared to the SST group.
- The SST group showed greater long-term improvement than the TST group, indicating a differential effect of interventions on skill persistence.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive restructuring (CR) is more effective than both SST and TST in achieving long-term social skill enhancements in individuals with alcohol dependence.
- The findings support the cognitive restructuring theory of social skills modification and the social learning model of alcohol dependence.
- Long-term therapeutic benefits for social skills in addiction recovery may be better achieved through cognitive-focused interventions.