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Topic Selection: Final Topic Selection
Ariane Williams Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies, Liberty University
Author Note I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Topic Selection: Final Topic Selection
Final Topic of Interest:
Addiction: Do peer recovery support treatments like SMART Recovery and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have long-term abstinence in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients with comorbid mental disorders?
Gap Statement: “Greater knowledge about who may affiliate with these MHOs (or not) may help inform future MHO matching and clinical referrals and provide insights into which types of organizations are likely to be attractive and engaging to which types of individuals” (Kelly et al., 2023, p. 1936).
Reference
Kelly, J. F., Fallah-Sohy, N., Cristello, J., Stout, R. L., Jason, L. A., Hoeppner, B. B., Bergman, B. G., & White, W. L. (2023). Who affiliates with SMART Recovery? A comparison of individuals attending SMART Recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous, both, or neither. Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, 47(10), 1928–1939. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.15164
Kelly et al. compared demographic and clinical characteristics of SMART Recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), both, or neither user on their initial foray into recovery. Findings indicated that individuals selecting SMART Recovery reported greater psychosocial stability on baseline than those who were in AA. The study indicates a significant knowledge gap in the field of sustainability of participation and outcomes over time. The authors speculate that the cognitive-behavioral SMART Recovery model, while useful for some, may be a challenge for patients with co-occurring disorders impacting cognitive and affective functioning. To address these questions, the study did recommend longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term utility of such programs and to further clarify the process of patient-program matching for recovery on a continuous basis.
Variables To Be Measured (Quantitative Example)
This study will employ a quasi-experimental design. This approach is ideal for measuring program effect in naturalistic clinical practice where random assignment between conditions is neither ethically nor practically possible.
Independent variable: Type of peer recovery support program (e.g., SMART Recovery, AA, both, or neither). Dependent variables: Rates of sustained abstinence (e.g., as reported over 12-24 months). Rates and severity of relapse. Quality of life indicators (e.g., as reported using a standardized measure).
Cultural Considerations
Entry into and the effectiveness of recovery support programs are strongly affected by culture. For instance, the spiritually rooted origin of AA may be especially attractive to members of certain religious groups (e.g., Christian or Indigenous) yet less attractive to secular or atheistic communities for whom SMART Recovery may be more appropriate. Socioeconomic status is likewise a potential barrier; SMART Recovery's appeal to highly educated, middle-class groups may unintentionally make minority or low-income groups inaccessible on the basis of stigma, language, or lack of access to transportation. Furthermore, in collectivist cultures (e.g., Hispanic, Asian), family involvement is typically a mandatory part of the recovery process, a part of the process that may not be a priority within standard peer support models.
FEEDBACK I hope that you are doing great! I started to grade your assignment but had to stop as I tried to look up the gap statement on the article that you are using and cannot match up a gap statement with the page number given. I looked and looked.
Please review the article and make the corrections so that I can review it. Then resubmit your assignment and send me a message when you have resubmitted it.
Let me know if you have any questions, OK?
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at Thu Sep 4, 2025 7:35pmat Thu Sep 4, 2025 7:35pm
Also, please note that the page numbers need to come from a PDF of the article.
Thanks!
at Thu Sep 4, 2025 8:06pmat Thu Sep 4, 2025 8:06pm
Oops, I forgot to mention. I put a "1" in each grading section as a placeholder until you get back to me and I can grade your paper.
Blessings!