title: The role of self-efficacy in the treatment of substance use disorders.
abstract: Self-efficacy is the belief that one has the ability to implement the behaviors needed to produce a desired effect. There has been growing interest in the role of self-efficacy as a predictor and/or mediator of treatment outcome in a number of domains. The present paper reviews the recent literature on self-efficacy in the substance abuse field. In numerous studies of substance abuse treatment, self-efficacy has emerged as an important predictor of outcome, or as a mediator of treatment effects. Despite these repeated positive findings, the self-efficacy concept has had little impact on the design of treatments. Since the concept was first introduced, there have been numerous suggestions regarding the means by which self-efficacy may be enhanced in clinical settings, but very little by way of empirical tests of those suggestions. This review concludes with a number of recommendations for further research to improve understanding of this potentially valuable concept and its interactions with other variables, and to develop effective strategies for enhancing self-efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030-3944, USA. rkadden@uchc.edu
authors.forename: Ronald M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kadden
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Litt
mesh_terms: D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012106:Research; D020377:Self Efficacy; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome