The URICA as a measure of motivation to change among treatment-seeking individuals with concurrent alcohol and cocaine problems.

Author(s): Pantalon MV, Nich C, Frankforter T, Carroll KM, University of Rhode Island Change Assessment

Affiliation(s): Department of Psychiatry/Division of Substance Abuse, Yale University School of Medicine, CMHC/SAC-S209, 34 Park Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06519, USA. michael.pantalon@yale.edu

Publication date & source: 2002-12, Psychol Addict Behav., 16(4):299-307.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

The original 4-factor structure of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA; C. C. DiClemente & S. O. Hughes, 1990) was replicated, and the scale's internal consistency was found to be acceptable in a sample of 106 cocaine- and alcohol-dependent participants receiving either disulfiram or no medication in a psychotherapy trial. In addition, participants categorized as having high Committed Action (CA), a new URICA composite, had a significantly greater percentage of days abstinent from both alcohol and cocaine (85.6%) than low-CA participants (72.7%, p < .01). Furthermore, a significant Treatment x CA interaction emerged, suggesting that low-CA participants had better outcomes than those with high CA when assigned to medication, whereas high-CA participants fared equally well with or without medication.