ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSERS' PERCEIVED REASONS FOR SELF-CHANGE IN CANADA AND SWITZERLAND: COMPUTER-ASSISTED CONTENT ANALYSIS

• Published in: Substance use & misuse Vol. 36; no. 11; pp. 1467 - 1500
• Main Authors: Sobell, Linda C., Klingemann, Harald K.-H., Toneatto, Tony, Sobell, Mark B., Agrawal, Sangeeta, Leo, Gloria I.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Informa UK Ltd 01.01.2001; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcohol abusers; Alcoholism; Behavior, Addictive - psychology; Behavior, Addictive - therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Canada; Computer Assisted Research; Content Analysis; Cross-cultural; Drug abusers; Drug addiction; Female; Humans; Interview, Psychological - methods; Male; Medical Research; Medical sciences; Methodology (Data Analysis); Natural recovery; Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; Perceptions; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Recovery; Remission, Spontaneous; Self-change; Selfchange; Substance abusers; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Substance-Related Disorders - therapy; Switzerland; Temperance - psychology; Treatment Methods; Treatment Outcomes; Untreated; Canada; North America; Switzerland; Europe; America; Social environment; Human; Drug addiction; Crosscultural study; Alcoholism; Cultural environment; Recovery
• ISSN: 1082-6084; 1532-2491
• DOI: 10.1081/JA-100106960

Although many people recover from substance-use associated problems on their own, little is known about this phenomenon. The paper had two objectives: to use a new research method, computer-assisted content analysis, to understand alcohol and drug abusers' perceived reasons for self-change and to undertake a comparative evaluation across substances and cultures to validate previous findings about subjective appraisal processes. Three studies of natural recoveries of alcohol and drug abusers in two countries conducted tape-recorded interviews with 216 respondents. The taped responses were coded based on a content analytic dictionary approach using a computerized content analysis program. All three studies found several processes mediating the decision to change substance use. The computer content analysis confirmed a cognitive appraisal process regardless of the cultural setting or substance. The findings suggest that several procedures might have benefit in clinical interventions. [Translations are provided in the International Abstracts section of this issue.]