Relapse-onset factors in Project MATCH: The Relapse Questionnaire

Previously, items on the relapse-onset section of the Relapse Questionnaire have been grouped together based on face validity. In the present article, an empirical scoring method for this measure is derived through a factor analysis of Project MATCH data. Three factors replicate the factor solutions of other measures of alcohol relapse onset and relapse risk. The three factors found in this study include the following: Negative Affect/Family Influences, Craving/Cued, and Social Pressure. This study also replicates earlier findings that social pressure relapses are most likely to repeat, and that negative affect relapses are more severe. Earlier studies typing relapses have hypothesized that this may be one method to detect treatment effects that might otherwise be missed if relapses are not differentiated and only generic measures (such as time to first drink) are used. This hypothesis is tested in the present article, and Motivational Enhancement Therapy is revealed to offer protection against social pressure relapses that is less than those offered by Cognitive-Behavioral Coping Skills Therapy or Twelve-Step Facilitation Therapy.