NCJ Number
227070
Date Published
2008
Length
192 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to describe the primary socialization relationships and their characteristics, to examine whether these social relations variables were related to problem recognition and desire for help, and to test whether social relations variables added to the explanation of problem recognition and desire for help beyond predictors already established in the empirical literature.
Abstract
In general, the results of this study were consistent with prior empirical findings, indicating that family and peer deviance, and family and peer relation problems were related to higher problem recognition (PR) and desire for help (DH). The results also highlight the importance of sibling relationships among adult substance users. The study added to the scarce literature on social relations and motivation for substance abuse behavior change. Social relations and motivation variables are often regarded as important determinants of the substance abuse behavior change process. Few attempts, however, have been made to investigate the relationships between them. In the study, primary socialization theory of drug use and criminal behavior informed the organization of empirically derived social relations variables into a conceptual model and the selection of additional variables of interest. The purpose of the study was to explore how characteristics of primary socialization, including deviance of, and conflict and cohesion with parents, siblings, sexual partner, and peer, were related to problem recognition and desire for help - motivational components of substance abuse behavior change process - among incarcerated substance abusers. Motivation and social relations variables were measured in the sample of 661 incarcerated men with chronic substance abuse problems. Tables, appendix, references, and index