title: We-Language and Sustained Reductions in Drinking in Couple-Based Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorders.
abstract: Couple-based treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) produce higher rates of abstinence than individual-based treatments and posit that active involvement of both identified patients (IPs) and significant others (SOs) is partly responsible for these improvements. Separate research on couples' communication has suggested that pronoun usage can indicate a communal approach to coping with health-related problems. The present study tested whether communal coping, indicated by use of more first-person plural pronouns ("we" language), fewer second-person pronouns ("you" language), and fewer first-person singular pronouns ("I" language), predicted improvements in abstinence in couple-based AUD treatment. Pronoun use was measured in first- and mid-treatment sessions for 188 heterosexual couples in four clinical trials of alcohol behavioral couple therapy (ABCT). Percentages of days abstinent were assessed during treatment and over a 6-month follow-up period. Greater IP and SO "we" language during both sessions was correlated with greater improvement in abstinent days during treatment. Greater SO "we" language during first- and mid-treatment sessions was correlated with greater improvement in abstinence at follow-up. Greater use of IP and SO "you" and "I" language had mixed correlations with abstinence, typically being unrelated to or predicting less improvement in abstinence. When all pronoun variables were entered into regression models, only greater IP "we" langue and lower IP "you" language predicted improvements in abstinence during treatment, and only SO "we" language predicted improvements during follow-up. Most pronoun categories had little or no association with baseline relationship distress. Results suggest that communal coping predicts better abstinence outcomes in couple-based AUD treatment.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors: Kevin A
authors: KA
authors: Hallgren
authors: Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors: Barbara S
authors: BS
authors: McCrady
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D064829:Alcohol Abstinence; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D019546:Couples Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007802:Language; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Alcohol behavioral couple therapy; Lenguaje dentro de la sesión; Pronoun use; Resultados del tratamiento; Terapia conductual de pareja para el abuso del alcohol; Treatment outcomes; Uso de pronombres; Within-session language; 代词使用; 治疗结果; 程内语言; 酒精行为伴侣治疗