Development of a Treatment Version of the Readiness to Change Questionnaire

Abstract

A treatment version of the Readiness to Change Questionnaire (the RCQ[TV]) was developed among a sample of 263 clients attending treatment for alcohol problems. The psychometric properties of this new instrument were shown to be adequate for research and clinical purposes, although further work is needed to strengthen the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Contemplation scale. It was not found possible to include a Preparation or a Maintenance stage in the RCQ|TV| and subjects are therefore allocated to Precon-templation. Contemplation or Action stages of change. Significant relationships were found between allocated stage of change and level of alcohol consumption, items measuring motivation to change drinking habits, length of time in treatment and whether or not the subject has previously received treatment for an alcohol problem. Subjects allocated to the Contemplation stage at initial assessment were less likely to show a good treatment outcome at six months follow-up than those allocated to the Action stage, even after the effects of time in treatment were taken into account. Clinicians currently using the original RCQ in a treatment population should now use the RCQ|TV|.

Key Words:

• Alcohol treatment
• Stage of change
• Treatment outcome
• Predictive validity