Discussion: Assessing motivation using URICA tool

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Research has been done to measure the different psychometric properties of the URICA. The research measured internal reliability, factorial, concurrent and convergent reliability. It has proven useful in measuring the different stages of offence in male prisoners. The reliability tests that have been performed revealed reliability in terms of consistency. The principal measures of validity that have been produced by studies are based on content, construct and criterion applied. The criterion for URICA is concurrent, predictive and postdictive in nature (Callaghan, Moore, Jungerman, Vilela, & Budney, 2008).

URICA has been used in many clinical settings to assess the readiness of patients prior to the commencement of addiction treatment. The validity of this assessment stems from the point that it has been used in very many treatments and research to measure the four stages of change.

Clinical Recommendations

URICA has been a significant assessment tool in clinical settings. It has been used to assess the motivation of an individual to modify behavior based on the four stages of changes. Cluster analyses performed on adults, entering an alcohol addiction treatment, produced profiles with five stages. The five stages in alcohol addiction treatment are precontemplation, Ambivalent, Participation, Uninvolved and Contemplation. URICA provides a second factor that gives a readiness score that can be important at pretreatment (O’Neal, 2007).

Clinicians can employ the URICA assessment tool to evaluation motivational levels of an individual and use the resulting information to decide on the appropriate treatment program. It helps increase the chances of success in treatment of addiction problems that require behavior change. The subscales provided in the URICA are necessary for checking for change in attitudes at the different stages of change. In effect, appropriate action can be taken to ensure the treatment remains effective.

Caution

Researchers have cautioned that the reliability of URICA is only significant in educational programs. It seems URICA has not been very adequate in the assessment of treatment programs for offenders at intake. The test is useful in individuals who can be found within the four stages of change.

Clinicians should be cautious when using the URICA index to check motivation for behavior change and the recovery process (Taylor, 2004). URICA should be complemented by other methods to measure the recovery process in situations involving recovery from substances abuse.

Personal Opinion

Personally, I think the URICA is an adequate measure of motivation in clinical settings. Research has shown that URICA test is effective in measuring motivation for change in clinical situations. It has proven effective in the treatment of addiction problems related to alcohol and marijuana. At the same time, I believe the test is not consistent in all situations. It can be erratic in the assessment of behavior change in some people. In general, it an effective tool that has proven useful in determining the level of motivation for behavior change.

References

Callaghan, R., Moore, L. T., Jungerman, F., Vilela, F., & Budney, A. (2008). Recovery and URICA stage-of-change scores in three marijuana treatment studies. Journal of Substance of Abuse, 35(4), 419-26.

Donovan, D. M. (n.d.). Assessment to Aid in the Treatment Planning Process. Retrieved from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AssessingAlcohol/planning.htm

O’Neal, P. W. (2007). Motivation of health behavior. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Discussion: Assessing motivation using URICA tool

Discussion: Assessing motivation using URICA tool