Abstinence self-efficacy in people with severe mental illness

To validate the Brief Situational Confidence Questionniare (BSCQ) with people diagnosed with severe mental illness (N = 129), we examined the associations between abstinence self-efficacy (BSCQ) and alcohol consumption level (within the previous 6 months), drug use, and problems related to substance use while controlling for key symptoms of major mental illness and motives for alcohol use (Drinking Motives Questionnaire). Regression models revealed that abstinence self-efficacy was a significant predictor of all three substance use measures suggesting that, even when controlling for psychiatric symptoms and substance use motives, abstinence self-efficacy accounts for unique variance in alcohol use, drug use, and related problems. This study is limited by the cross sectional design and lack of structured diagnostic interviewing.