title: Engagement of pleasant activities in patients with substance use disorders: a correlational study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a growing awareness that the treatment of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) should target increasing patients' involvement in alternative pleasant reinforcers that compete with the reinforcing effects of substance use. The present cross-sectional study sought to identify factors that promote or impede engaging in pleasant activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with SUDs (N = 265) were assessed at treatment entry on sociodemographic characteristics, primary type of substance (ie, alcohol or illicit drugs), addiction severity, craving, personality factors, and psychiatric distress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analyses identified dissimilar predictor sets underlying frequency, enjoyability, and cross-product ratings, highlighting the multifaceted behavioral nature of activity engagement. Personality measures showed the strongest associations with patients' activity engagement, with extraversion as the key predictor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present findings emphasize the complexity of patients' involvement in pleasant non-substance-related activities and further investigation is necessary to gain more insight into the underlying mechanisms of activity engagement.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Tranzo/Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology , Tilburg University , Tilburg , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hendrik G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Roozen
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strietman
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wiersema
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Meyers
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lewinsohn
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Feij
authors.forename: Peter G J
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Greeven
authors.forename: Ad J J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vingerhoets
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van den Brink
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D066249:Craving; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D010552:Personality Assessment; D057181:Pleasure; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Activity; addiction; alcohol; drugs; personality; pleasant activities list; prediction; reinforcement