Testing the abstinence violation effect construct with marijuana cessation.
It has been proposed that internal, stable, and global attributions for the cause of a lapse following a period of abstinence and concomitant feelings of guilt and loss of control increased the probability of a return to regular substance use. The Abstinence Violation Effect (AVE) hypotheses were tested in a sample of 75 adult marijuana users who reported a lapse into marijuana use following completion of either a relapse prevention (RP) or social support group treatment aimed at abstinence. Results showed that more internal, stable, and global attributions for the cause of the lapse and perceived loss of control were related significantly to concurrently reported relapse. Further, internal and global attributions predicted marijuana use during the subsequent 6 months. Results are discussed in terms of support for the AVE construct, treatment implications, and the failure of the RP treatment to modify reactions to a lapse.
Stephens
R S
RS
Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg 24061-0436.
Curtin
L
L
Simpson
E E
EE
Roffman
R A
RA
D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012381:Role Playing; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000523:psychology*