NCJ Number
225215
Journal
Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: 2008 Pages: 490-510
Date Published
2008
Length
21 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between stressful life experiences, along with patterns and consequences of substance use, and motives for that use among a sample of men and women with a history of incarceration.
Abstract
Three principal motivational categories were found in the analysis: coping, social reinforcement, and enhancement. Discriminant analyses showed that coping motives were associated with greater drinking frequency and quantity, along with a broader variety of adverse consequences, alcohol dependence, parental divorce or separation, later onset of childhood neglect, and experiencing conditions perceived as similar to war. The respondents who posited coping-related motives for their substance use were more likely to have led lives marked by stressful experiences. This analysis makes a unique contribution in its exploration of the relationship between specific stressful experiences and motives associated with coping. Motivational factors have been seen as key to both the initiation and perpetuation of substance-using behavior. In addition, a greater number of stressful life events and higher levels of perceived stress have been predictive of drinking with greater frequency and in higher quantities. Relevant literature has offered various models related to motives for drug and alcohol use, but neither qualitative narratives nor quantitative variables associated with stressful events have been commonly utilized. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between stressful life experiences and coping-type motives for substance use, along with its associated patterns and consequences among a sample of 68 men and women with a history of incarceration. Tables, references