The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2013; 39(1): 33–37 Copyright © Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. ISSN: 0095-2990 print/1097-9891 online DOI: 10.3109/00952990.2012.702172 The Relationship between Wisdom and Abstinence Behaviors in Women in Recovery from Substance Abuse Julia A. DiGangi, M.S., M.A. 1 , Leonard A. Jason, Ph.D. 1 , Leslie Mendoza, B.A. 1 , Steve A. Miller, Ph.D. 2 , and Richard Contreras, Ph.D. 1 1 Center for Community Research, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, 2 Department of Psychology, Argosy University, Chicago, IL, USA Background and aims: Wisdom is theorized to be an important construct in recovery from substance abuse. In order to explore the role of wisdom in substance abuse recovery behaviors, the present study had two goals. First, it sought to examine the factor structure of a wisdom scale, the Foundational Value Scale (FVS) in a community sample of women in recovery from substance abuse. Second, the study examined how wisdom predicted the women’s beliefs about their ability to abstain from future substance use. Methods: 116 women in recovery from substance abuse disorders were recruited from self-run recovery homes and a substance abuse recovery convention. Results: Results from an exploratory factor analysis indicated that a modified version of the FVS has good internal consistency reliability and is composed of three wisdom-related dimensions. The three factors were then used to create a higher-order wisdom factor in a structural equation model (SEM) that was used to predict abstinence self- efficacy behaviors. Results from the SEM showed that the wisdom factor was predictive of greater abstinence self-efficacy behaviors. Conclusion: The FVS was found to be a reliable measure with women in recovery from substance abuse. In addition, wisdom predicted beliefs about self-efficacy such that those who reported higher levels of wisdom felt more confident in their abilities to abstain from alcohol. Scientific significance: The results of this study indicate that wisdom is an important construct in the abstinence behaviors of women who are in recovery from substance abuse disorders. Keywords: wisdom, substance abuse, women, exploratory factor analysis INTRODUCTION Although the study of wisdom is complex due to its multi- faceted nature, previous research suggests some core com- ponents of what people deem wisdom. Specifically, while associated with acquired knowledge, wisdom is generally recognized to encompass more than just intelligence (1). Wisdom appears to be defined as a form of knowledge linked primarily to an awareness of, and connection to, oneself, one’s surroundings, and others (2–5). Additionally, wisdom has been demonstrated to encom- pass a type of intelligence generated from experience (6). Others have expanded wisdom’s definition to include aspects of spirituality and connectedness to nature (2,7). Wisdom is theorized to be an important construct for understanding substance use disorder (SUD) recovery. For example, wisdom is integral to the organizing frame- work of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). The 12-step meetings are based – not on empirical research or the judgment of clinicians – but on wisdom accumulated through the lived and shared experi- ences of recovering addicts (8). Similarly, the Serenity Prayer – which it is read at many AA and NA meetings – calls on individuals to recognize the things they can change, the things they cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference. Twelve-step practices, like the Serenity Prayer, might be a form of wisdom that helps individuals better manage their lives through reflection and personal insights. Much of this wisdom may be linked to spiritual practices of 12-step programs. Findings from a recent study suggest that AA leads to better sobriety out- comes, in part, by enhancing individuals’ spiritual prac- tices and providing support for AA’s own emphasis on increasing spiritual practices to facilitate recovery from alcohol use disorder (9). Twelve-step programs endorse reliance on a “Higher Power” and encourage the use of prayer and meditation (10). In fact, the main purported mechanism of recovery from “alcoholism” is identified as a “spiritual awakening” (10) or “spiritual experience” (10). Although wisdom and spirituality are related, they are not synonymous construct and, at present, little is known about the specific role of wisdom in the context of 12-step participation. At present, only one study examined the relationship between wisdom and alcohol use. In that study, Perry and colleagues (11) examined problem Address correspondence to Julia A. DiGangi, Center for Community Research, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton Ave., Suite 3100, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. E-mail: jdigangi@depaul.edu 33 Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Governors State University on 02/13/13 For personal use only.