Assessing recovery-related behaviors, emotions, and cognitions among members of Alcoholics Anonymous over 7 days: A quantitative daily diary study
Description
The main purpose of this research study was to investigate the relationship between selfishness, helping behavior, and gratitude among members of the 12-step program Alcoholics Anonymous. The research hypotheses centered around ideas discussed at length in 12-step literature- When people in AA spend more time helping others and feeling grateful, they think less about their own cares and concerns. The data provides preliminary evidence of this relationship: significant daily associations were uncovered between helping behavior, gratitude and selfishness. Participants reported less self-absorption on days when they helped more people and were more grateful. A number of additional control variables were collected at baseline and throughout the study that may be of interest to other researchers. This was a quantitative daily dairy study that consisted of an initial baseline assessment followed by 7 nightly reports that were collected each evening at 8pm. Participants (N = 113) were recruited through social media networks (e.g., large recovery-related facebook groups, twitter, Instagram, etc.) as well as an email list from people in recovery who had previously participated in research and had provided consent to be contacted in the future. After the baseline survey, participants were sent a reminder to fill out the survey each evening at 8 pm in their respective time zones via text and email. This data is well-suited for multilevel modeling analyses for all daily variables. A complete list of the measures is below. Baseline: Addiction Severity - Short Inventory of Problems-Revised (SIP-R) Adult Attachment - Experiences in Close Relationships Scale - Short (ECR-S) Trait Narcissism - Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-13) Altruism - Altruistic Personality Scale (APS) Trait Gratitude - Gratitude, Resentment, and Appreciation Test (GRAT) Personality - Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) Psychological Distress - Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-6) Social Desirability - Marlow Crowne Social Desirability Scale (SDS) Locus of Control - Alcohol-Related God Locus of Control Scale (AGLOC) Self-Esteem - Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) Recovery Capital - Brief Assessment of Recovery Capital (BARC) Daily: Self-Absorption - Self-Absorption Scale (SAS) Narcissism - Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS) Mood - Positive/Negative Affect (PANAS) Helping Behavior - Service to Others in Sobriety (SOS) State Gratitude - Gratitude Checklist (3-item Daily Gratitude) Self-Efficacy - Self-Efficacy Scale (SES)