Stages of change profiles among incarcerated drug-using women.
This study investigated the utility and psychometric properties of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (URICA) in a sample of 257 female inmates from a large urban prison. It addressed three major issues: (a) whether URICA captures stages of change among female offenders with a recent history of drug abuse; (b) whether distinct, reliable subgroup profiles would emerge from a cluster analysis of the URICA scale; and (c) whether women in these clusters would differ in their demographic characteristics, drug-use patterns, or psychological symptoms. Results indicate that the URICA is a useful, reliable, and valid tool to assess stages of change in drug-using incarcerated women. Consistent with other studies conducted with different populations, the scale yielded five distinct stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Cluster analysis using the hierarchical agglomerate method classified the subjects into five clusters, which correlated with subjects' psychological symptoms. Intervention implications of URICA are discussed.
el-Bassel
N
N
Social Intervention Group, Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY 10025, USA.
Schilling
R F
RF
Ivanoff
A
A
Chen
D R
DR
Hanson
M
M
Bidassie
B
B
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health