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Browsing by Author "Krentzman, Amy R"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Can Measurement of Recovery Be Supportive of Recovery?
    (2022-04-08) Horgos, Bonnie M; Lowery, Channel L; Krentzman, Amy R
    Recently, the field has shifted to define addiction recovery not by abstinence but by improvement in well-being. However, there is little research on the impact of measuring well-being. This poster presents a thematic analysis of control-group interviews derived from a randomized controlled trial of Positive Peer Journaling (PPJ), an intervention designed to increase well-being and reduce relapse in early recovery. The control group (n = 39, 52% female, average 39 years old, 63% with income <$15,000, 26% BIPOC, 43% with a legal issue, and 95% with history of trauma) completed daily questionnaires over 1 month. These questionnaires included the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Commitment to Sobriety Scale, as well as single-item questions, such as: “In the last 24 hours I did something to help another person in recovery.” Qualitative thematic analyses showed that the survey alone created improvement in cognition, affect, and behavior; for example, the questionnaires encouraged participants to reflect on the past 24 hours, experience a deeper sense of gratitude, and reach out to others in recovery. The discovery that survey questions might support well-being during recovery is of critical importance. If recovery-oriented survey questions foster improvement in cognition, affect and behavior, they can be leveraged as an easily scalable intervention that can support recovery efforts.
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    Happiness with recovery from alcohol and substance use disorders predits abstinence and treatment retention
    (2024) Krentzman, Amy R; Zemore, Sarah E; Bowen, Elizabeth A
    Purpose: Although research has primarily focused on the role of indicators of poor functioning in treatment outcomes for alcohol and other substance use disorders (SUDs), a growing body of positive psychology research explores the importance of indicators of wellbeing for SUD recovery. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from an intervention study to clarify the association between wellbeing indicators and treatment outcomes. Methods: We recruited participants (N=81; M=39 years old, 53% female, 26% BIPOC, 46% indicating alcohol as primary addiction) from three treatment centers in the Upper Midwest in 2020-2021. We used baseline survey data to examine the association between wellbeing indicators (assessed M=62 [SD=57] days after intake at host treatment center) and two treatment outcomes: abstinence (yes/no) and treatment retention (leaving on good terms/leaving for other reasons). Wellbeing indicators included positive affect, serenity, flourishing, happiness with recovery, satisfaction with life, trait gratitude, commitment to sobriety, quality of life, and confidence staying sober. We calculated point biserial correlations between wellbeing indicators and binary outcomes. Logistic regression models examined the relationship between each wellbeing indicator significant in correlation analyses with treatment outcomes while controlling for urges to use, recruitment site, and days of sobriety. Results: Serenity (OR=1.386) and happiness with recovery (OR=1.625) were associated with abstinence; and positive affect (OR=1.121), flourishing (OR=1.119), and happiness with recovery (OR=1.501) were associated with leaving treatment on good terms, controlling for covariates (p<.05). Flourishing (OR=1.115) was marginally associated with abstinence and serenity (OR=1.234) was marginally associated with leaving on good terms at p<.10. Conclusions: People who are happy with their recovery are more likely to remain sober and leave treatment on good terms. Assessed via a single-item measure we developed ( “Overall, I am happy with my recovery”), results show promise for a novel, simple assessment approach to measuring wellbeing in recovery and a potential target for intervention: increase happiness with recovery. Future studies should explore the relationship between wellbeing indicators, especially happiness with recovery, and treatment outcomes using larger samples and among subpopulations of people in recovery from SUD.
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    How Are Recovery-Supportive Cognitions and Behaviors Associated with Positive and Negative Affect?
    (2022-04-08) Krentzman, Amy R; Horgos, Bonnie M
    Negative affect is strongly associated with relapse. Few interventions are designed to improve mood during recovery and little is known about the effect on mood of incremental, recovery-supportive cognitions and behaviors (IRSCB), such as wishing others well or writing a gratitude list. In this study, 81 individuals in addiction treatment (52% female, average 39 years old, 26% BIPOC, average 13 years of education) completed surveys for 30 days assessing 16 different past-day IRSCBs and current-moment mood assessed via the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Multi-level models showed significant main effects of 15 IRSCBs on increased positive affect and significant main effects of 14 IRSCBs on decreased negative affect. The IRSCBs that had the strongest effect were “I did something enjoyable,” “I felt able to get things done,” “I realized that more good things than bad things were happening,” and “I realized that there is a lot I am grateful or thankful for.” These IRSCBs were associated with both a 2-3 point increase in positive affect and a 1-2 point decrease in negative affect. These results suggest that providers should reinforce pleasant activities and gratitude practices and help clients meet short-term goals. This study shows that IRSCBs have significant association with improved mood, which could protect against relapse.
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    Pilot Test of a Communication-Skills Intervention among Individuals in Recovery from Severe Substance-Use Disorders
    (2017-06) Krentzman, Amy R; Westlund, Janet; Tinetti, Tonia
    Purpose: Communication skills should help individuals in recovery to enhance interpersonal relationships. Positive relationships can improve quality of life and reduce relapse risk. This pilot study tested a novel intervention which taught person-centered communication skills to individuals with severe addiction histories in recovery. We investigated 1. Whether person-centered skills could be learned, 2. Whether such skills would be associated with a “standardized friend” (SF)’s communication satisfaction, and 3. Whether the skills would impact broader personal relationships. Method: 19 males (M = 44 years old) with histories of severe substance use disorder (M=39 AUDIT score, M=9 previous treatment episodes), low income (42% earned less than $5k last year), in recovery (M = 111 days sober), and residing in a residential recovery program were randomized to receive either a 10-hour communication-skills class (n=9) or a wait-list control condition (n=10). The communication class covered skills from Motivational Interviewing, social work interviewing, and positive psychology and was grounded in person-centered humanistic philosophy and 12-step community wisdom. All participants were video-recorded having a conversation with a SF pre-post intervention to demonstrate communication skills. Videos were coded using a modification of the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity Coding Manual to count person-centered behaviors including reflections and open-ended questions. After each conversation, the SF rated his satisfaction with the conversation using the Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Inventory. Post-intervention interviews with participants assessed the impact of the skills on broader personal relationships. Results: The average increase in person-centered utterances as a percentage of total utterances pre-post intervention was significantly higher for individuals in the communication-skills class compared to the control group, 32% versus 2%, (t(15)=2.2, p=<.05). The average increase in the SF’s communication satisfaction pre-post intervention was higher for individuals in the communication-skills class, 22 versus 3 points, (t(15)=1.9, p<.10). Qualitative data suggested that the skills had a positive impact on family and 12-step relationships. Conclusions: Individuals with a history of severe substance use disorder were able to learn person-centered skills in this pilot study, as demonstrated by video-recorded data, perceptions from a SF, and positive exchanges in the social environment. These results suggest that the skills can help enhance positive interpersonal relationships in recovery.