title: Comparative utility of a single-item versus multiple-item measure of self-efficacy in predicting relapse among young adults.
abstract: Single-item measures of psychological experiences are often viewed as psychometrically suspect. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and utility of a single-item measure of self-efficacy in a clinical sample of treatment-seeking young adults. Inpatient young adults (N = 303, age = 18-24, 26% female) were assessed at intake to residential treatment, end of treatment, and at 1, 3, and 6 months following discharge. The single-item measure of self-efficacy consistently correlated positively with a well-established 20-item measure of self-efficacy and negatively with temptation scores from the same scale, demonstrating convergent and discriminant validity. It also consistently predicted relapse to substance use at 1-, 3-, and 6-month assessments postdischarge, even after controlling for other predictors of relapse (e.g., controlled environment), whereas global or subscale scores of the 20-item scale did not. Based on these findings, we encourage the use of this single-item measure of self-efficacy in research and clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. bhoeppner@partners.org
authors.forename: Bettina B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Hoeppner
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Urbanoski
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Slaymaker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D012008:Recurrence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012114:Residential Treatment; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013695:Temperance / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult