The new study is the first to study the effectiveness of an approach widely used for counseling for the treatment of substance abuse among African-Americans. The study found that African-American women were more likely than men to continue the consulting approach for the treatment of substance abuse, but their substance abuse problems continued. The study led to Latrice Montgomery, a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychology, published this month in the "cultural diversity and ethnic minorities in psychology", Journal of the American Psychological Association.
The study examined the effectiveness of Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) compared with standard treatment, counseling as usual (CAU) - two clinical approaches for the treatment of substance abuse - among African-Americans. The study, a secondary analysis of a clinical study in the Clinical Trials Network of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, was a rare study of discontinuation at a time and the effectiveness of the MET to reduce substance abuse, particularly among African Americans.
Motivational enhancement therapy is designed to resolve ambivalence about drug treatment, if drug users are at the stage where they are ready to live a life without drugs, or if they are against any treatment.
"The idea of MET is for counselors to help patients build motivation and strengthen commitment to behavioral change," says Montgomery. "A technique that is commonly used in TEM to facilitate this process is the use of decision-making balance exercises that help patients to explore the advantages and disadvantages of drug use."
"An example might be a patient discuss what he or she is the" professional "use of drugs such as alcohol to reduce anxiety," says Montgomery. "But despite its ability to help reduce patient anxiety, the patient may also be recognized that alcohol abuse negatively affect their relationships. "
Montgomery added: "The therapist's task in this case would be to help the patient develop more reasons for change and to identify more effective ways to reduce anxiety."
Previous research has suggested that the consequences of drug abuse among African Americans is higher than other groups, not only for health but also in the judiciary.
The study compared the effectiveness of therapy to improve the motivation for advice, as usual, over a period of 16 weeks. The study participants were 194 African Americans who sought outpatient treatment in five different drug treatment programs, community-based across the nation. The study included 146 African-American men (75.3 percent) and 48 women (24.7 percent), with age of the participants averaged 37.5 years. They were seeking treatment for problems such as abuse of cocaine (25.8 percent), alcohol (26.3 percent) and marijuana abuse (18 percent).
The study found a greater stability of the MET than CAU women. Men MET and CAU is the difference between conservation.
In both sexes, men and women in treatment reported several days a week addiction that participants in the CAU.
"Previous studies have shown that ethnic minorities in the MET report greater success in reducing substance abuse that ethnic minorities, but in a study a number of ethnic groups," says Montgomery. "This study examined the effectiveness of specific treatment for African-Americans."
"I met a lot of value in the sense that a non-confrontational and non-judgmental, and support-effectiveness," says Montgomery. "We have found that women stay longer in the treatment of the market economy, but not to reduce the consumption of psychoactive substances. There, my research leads me now."
Secondary authors of the study are UC psychology professor Kathy Burlew, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Duke University Professor Andrzej S. Kosinski and the University of New Mexico Psychiatric Forcehimes Assistant professor Alyssa.
Montgomery is currently a training clinics throughout the year at Yale University School of Medicine Division of Substance Abuse. She is the recipient of the 2011 American Psychological Association, Dalmas A. Taylor Award for Outstanding Student Research, which recognizes clinical psychology graduate student who has produced exemplary research in clinical psychology from ethnic minorities.
Development of Ethnic Minority Graduate Students.
Last spring, Montgomery was honored as Most Outstanding Graduate Student by the UC Graduate Student Governance Association.
Montgomery was born and raised in Cincinnati, grew up in College Hill and is a graduate of Walnut Hills High School.
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