Readiness to Change Profiles in Two Different Groups of Alcohol/Other Drug Abusers in the United States and Finland

Information on alcohol/other drug abusers' readiness to change is needed for the individual planning of treatment. We investigated the readiness to change profiles of Finnish and North American alcohol/other drug abusers. The Finnish subjects (N = 780) were unselected alcoholics and polydrug users receiving inpatient treatment. The North American subjects (N = 946) were selected outpatient alcoholics treated on Project MATCH. Readiness to change was measured with the URICA (University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale). In the cluster analyses the subjects were placed in groups. The findings indicated that the readiness to change profiles of Americans and Finns are similar in form, but there were quantitative differences in grouping. The Finns' profiles were more often of the type resisting change compared to those of the Americans. These differences are most likely due to the fact that the Finnish subjects were unselected inpatients whereas the Americans were selected outpatients. The article considers the significance of the findings in the light of earlier profile studies and the treatment of alcohol/other drug abuse.