title: The Marijuana Ladder: measuring motivation to change marijuana use in incarcerated adolescents.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if a modified version of the Contemplation Ladder, a measure of motivation to change marijuana use among incarcerated adolescents (Marijuana Ladder; ML), was related to marijuana use and treatment engagement. Participants (N=122) in this study were all incarcerated at a state juvenile correctional facility in the Northeast. Adolescents were assessed at the beginning of their incarceration, 2 months into their incarceration, and 3 months after their release. There was a significant negative relationship between ML scores and marijuana use and a significant positive relationship between ML scores and treatment engagement. When controlling for prior marijuana use and age, ML scores at baseline significantly added to the prediction of marijuana use and treatment engagement among incarcerated adolescents. Results support the concurrent validity and the predictive validity of the ML. This measure has the potential to provide important information for Juvenile Justice Facilities that might aid in treatment planning and discharge planning for incarcerated adolescents. In addition, researchers may find a quick visual analog measure of motivation to change marijuana use with good psychometric properties useful.
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, The Rhode Island Training School, USA.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Slavet
authors.forename: L A R
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Colby
authors.forename: Nancy P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Golembeske
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lebeau-Craven
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009042:Motivation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs