END-OF-TREATMENT SELF-EFFICACY, AFTERCARE, AND DRINKING OUTCOMES OF ALCOHOLIC MEN

In substance abusers, low end-of-treatment self-efficacy is thought to be a predictor of increased vulnerability to relapse following treatment. This study is an evaluation of relationships between end-of-treatment self-efficacy, aftercare, and drinking outcomes in a subsample of male alcoholics participating in a treatment outcome study. After completing Behavioral Marital Therapy (BMT), the alcoholics and their spouses were randomly assigned to either an aftercare or a no additional treatment condition and followed up for 1 year. In subjects who received no additional treatment, low self-efficacy at the end of BMT predicted poorer drinking outcomes, even after drinking behavior during BMT was controlled for. For subjects in the aftercare condition, self-efficacy at the end of BMT did not predict drinking outcomes. Explanations for the results, as well as implications for models of relapse, are discussed.