Resistance to change, expectancies, and dimensions of personality in psychoactive substance use disorders: a construct validity study of the concerns about change scale

Abstract

The concepts of positive am negative reinforcement were employed to link the persala1ity dimensions of Extraversion and Neuroticism with expectancies about the effects of psychoactive substance use and resistance to change. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ), the Concerns About Change Scale (CCS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability scale (SDES), and an addiction severity questionnaire (ASQ), were administered to 48 :residents of publicly fumed substance abuse treatment programs. Positive and negative reinforcement dimensions were created for the AEQ (AEQ-P and AEQ-N) and the CCS (CCS-P and CCS-N) using an expert rating procedure. Subjects were divided into alcohol and stimulant groups based on reported drug of choice. It was hypothesized that CCS-P would be predicted by EPQ-E and AEQ-P, and CCS-N by EPQ-N and AEQ-N. These hypotheses did not receive significant support: results indicated that BDI was the best predictor of both CCS-P and CCS-N, followed by age and SDES. These results were interpreted in terms of a response set in which a general tendency to endorse concerns about change is correlated positively with level of reported depression, and negatively with socially desirable responding and age. It was also hypothesized that the alcohol group would score higher than the stimulant group at EPQ-N, AEQ-N, am CCS-N, and lower on EPQ-E, AEQ-P, and CCS-P. The results partially supported these hypotheses. The alcohol group differed significantly from the stimulant group in terms of AEQ-N am EPQ-E. The stimulant group scored higher than the alcohol group on bath dimensions of the CCS, These results were interpreted in terms of the response set noted above. Of the CCS subscales, 12 (Problem Provides Reason for Avoidance of Responsibility) and 5 (Concern About Maturity) yielded the highest mean scores in both groups. This finding was interpreted as an indication that this population term to be composed primarily of individuals who perceive themselves as lacking adaptive skills, and who are consequently concerned about their ability to assume adult responsibilities. In conclusion, a link was hypothesized between this population am the response set noted above.