Cognitive Inductions into Treatment among Drug Users on Probation

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a cognitive tool designed to enhance drug treatment motivation among a sample of drug users on probation in a residential treatment facility (N = 33). The task involved listing the negative consequences of drug use as well as the positive consequences of abstinence as they relate to seven “divisions of the self” (e.g., social, mental, behavioral, physical, emotional, motivational, and spiritual/philosophical). Although performing this cognitive induction task within the first 10 days of treatment (immediate induction) did not appear to enhance motivational readiness for treatment, a comparison group receiving the induction strategy 1 month after entering treatment (delayed induction) scored significantly higher on motivational indices than did those in the immediate induction group. It is suggested that involuntary treatment recipients require a brief acclimation period before shifting their focus from external pressures (e.g., reacting against authority and newly imposed structure) to internal events (e.g., personal evaluation of the consequences of drug use).