Development of a behavior analytically derived alcohol-specific role-play assessment instrument

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Social learning theory suggests stress coping deficits in chronic alcohol abusers may predict relapse.
• Previous research faced methodological challenges in studying these hypothesized deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a behavioral assessment tool for evaluating alcohol abusers' coping skills in high-risk situations.
• To address methodological limitations in prior research on stress and alcohol relapse.

Main Methods:

• A behavior analytic procedure identified 10 categories of high-risk drinking situations from over 600 elicited scenarios.
• Alcoholics in treatment participated in role-play exercises simulating non-drinking responses.
• Trained judges behaviorally rated videotaped responses for skill and anxiety; participants self-reported urge, anxiety, difficulty, and skill.

Main Results:

• The developed Alcohol Specific Role Play Test demonstrated good interrater reliability and internal consistency across three independent samples.
• Virtually no gender differences were observed in the assessed coping abilities.
• The test's validity and utility were supported by previous and current investigations.

Conclusions:

• The Alcohol Specific Role Play Test shows significant promise as a reliable instrument for assessing alcoholics' reactions to high-risk situations.
• This tool can aid in identifying individuals with stress coping deficits that may contribute to relapse.
• The findings support the utility of behavioral assessment in understanding and treating alcohol use disorders.