End‐of‐Treatment Self‐Efficacy, Aftercare, and Drinking Outcomes of Alcoholic Men

In substance abusers, low end‐of‐treatment self‐efficacy is thought to be a predictor of increased vulnerability to relapse following treatment. This study is an evaluation of relationships between end‐of‐treatment self‐efficacy, aftercare, and drinking outcomes in a subsample of male alcoholics participating in a treatment outcome study. After completing Behavioral Marital Therapy (BMT), the alcoholics and their spouses were randomly assigned to either an aftercare or a no additional treatment condition and followed up for 1 year. In subjects who received no additional treatment, low self‐efficacy at the end of BMT predicted poorer drinking outcomes, even after drinking behavior during BMT was controlled for. For subjects in the aftercare condition, self‐efficacy at the end of BMT did not predict drinking outcomes. Explanations for the results, as well as implications for models of relapse, are discussed.