The predictive validity of the university of rhode island change assessment questionnaire in a heroin-addicted polysubstance abuse sample.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the predictive utility of the stages-of-change scales of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA; E. A. McConnaughy, J. O. Prochaska, & W. F. Velicer, 1983) questionnaire in a heroin-addicted polysubstance-abusing treatment sample. Ninety-six participants completed the URICA at the beginning of a 29-week treatment period that required thrice-weekly urine drug screens. Multivariate multiple regression analysis indicated that after controlling for demographic variables, substance abuse severity, and treatment assignment, the stages-of- change scales added significant variance to the prediction of heroin- and cocaine-free urine samples. The Maintenance scale was positively related to cocaine-free urines and length in treatment. The implications of these findings for treatment and for measuring readiness among individuals using multiple substances while taking maintenance medications are discussed. (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved