Attributional Analysis of Drug Abuse and Gender: Effects of Treatment and Relationship to Rehabilitation

Abstract

The present study examined the utility of an attributional approach to the cognitive processes of male and female drug abusers, and the predictive power of attributional style and self-esteem for subsequent rehabilitation. As they entered treatment, female drug abusers exhibited a maladaptive attributional pattern for a manipulated success/failure experience (external and stable for failure; internal and unstable for success) compared to male drug abusers and nondrug abusing controls. Male drug abusers' attributional pattern did not differ significantly from the other three groups, although means were in the predicted direction. Both male and female drug abusers' self-esteem scores were significantly lower than controls. After several months in treatment, neither male nor female drug abusers showed significant attributional change, although both groups showed a positive change in self-esteem. Several months after leaving treatment, change in attributional measures was shown to be a better predictor of reh...