Assesment of Motivation for Rehabilitation Among Male Illicit Drug Users in Rehabilition Centers of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Persons with illicit drug use disorder should have a good motivation for rehabilitation at the initiation of the rehabilitation process to avoid relapses. This study was conducted to assess the level of motivation for rehabilitation and its predictors among males with illicit drug disorders admitted to rehabilitation centers in Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 431 study subjects from five selected rehabilitation centres. Sinhala translation of Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) was used to assess the motivation level under the three sub-scales: Recognition, Ambivalence, and Taking Steps. Chi-square test was used to identify the sociodemographic and drug related factors associated with the motivation level. Those factors were subsequently used as independent variables in binary logistic regression for identification of predictors of motivation using logistic regression approach at 0.05 significance level. Nearly 40% (n=171) of the sample had been previously rehabilitated as an inpatient in a rehabilitation centre. The majority of the sample (52.9%) had a moderate level of motivation for rehabilitation in all three categories of motivation; recognition, ambivalence, and taking steps. High motivation for rehabilitation was reported by 23.4% based on total score, while a similar proportion (23.7%) reported low motivation. Study subjects having a higher problematic level of drug use were less likely to have a high motivation for rehabilitation (OR=0.564, 95% CI=0.366-0.872, p<0.05), whereas being aware of adverse consequences of drug use (OR=1.778, 95% CI=1.108-2.853, p<0.05) was more likely to predict high motivation. The findings reveal that the level of motivation for rehabilitation is inadequate among males with drug use disorder. This finding is further emphasized with the high readmission rate following relapse for rehabilitation centres in present study. Assessment of readiness to change can be incorporated into the rehabilitation process to identify those with low motivation to change drug use behaviour and intervene early to prevent future relapses.