Relapse rates among individuals treated for alcohol abuse continue to be high, ranging from 35% to 90%. Effective cognitive and behavioral anticipatory, immediate, and restorative coping strategies have been identified; however, little is known about risk appraisal as a cognitive process for identifying the level of risk of a potentially high-risk situation. Failure to appraise a high-risk situation as dangerous will likely result in failure to implement coping responses. There is also a paucity of research examining the effectiveness of sobriety-related lifestyle coping strategies in reducing the frequency and severity of alcohol relapse. An alternative taxonomy of coping skills is presented to incorporate these understudied areas of coping and to enhance our knowledge of coping and relapse. The long-term objective of this research is to improve alcohol treatment by increasing our understanding of coping strategies that are effective in decreasing relapse rates among individuals treated for alcohol abuse. The major goal of this assessment study is to evaluate the ability to predict subsequent drinking severity by assessing the use of two understudied dimensions of coping: (1) cognitive risk appraisal of potentially high- risk situations and (2) sobriety-related lifestyle coping strategies that may be used on an ongoing basis outside of high-risk situations. Individual differences in coping strategies will be assessed in males and females as they complete residential substance abuse treatment and transfer to outpatient treatment. Participants will be followed for one year, with assessments conducted at baseline (start of outpatient therapy), and at 3, 6 and 12 months post baseline assessment. Self-reported use of coping strategies at the baseline, 3-month and 6-month follow-up assessment points will be used to predict drinking quantity, frequency, and status (relapsed versus abstinent) during the subsequent 3- and 6-month follow-up intervals. Results of this study will expand work completed to date by prospectively predicting drinking severity based on use of previously understudied dimensions of coping. This information will enhance the coping skills component of CBT alcohol intervention and reduce the frequency of heavy alcohol consumption and its associated harmful effects.
| Martin, Rosemarie A; Ellingsen, Victor J; Tzilos, Golfo K et al. (2015) General and religious coping predict drinking outcomes for alcohol dependent adults in treatment. Am J Addict 24:240-5 |
| Martin, Rosemarie A; Mackinnon, Selene M; Johnson, Jennifer E et al. (2011) The alcohol relapse situation appraisal questionnaire: development and validation. Drug Alcohol Depend 116:45-51 |
