Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) with treated alcoholics: Methodological problems and potential solutions

Ecological Momentary Assessment, a methodology by which information can be obtained about phenomena as they occur in a person's natural environment, was used to assess the antecedents to relapse in treated alcohol abusers. Alcoholic participants (N = 27) were asked to record their urge to drink alcohol and their mood state, situation, and alcohol use on 5- x 7-in. record cards in response to 8 random prompts per day for 21 consecutive days after discharge from a Veterans Affairs inpatient treatment center. The purpose of the research was to determine the extent to which drinking urges occurred in the patient's home environment after treatment and to identify the mood states and alcohol-related stimuli associated with urges. Field recordings were prompted by a programmable wristwatch. Results suggested that compliance with procedures was excellent and that the occurrence of drinking and of drinking urges was relatively rare. However, significant methodological problems were brought to light that may have compromised the results. These problems are presented and potential solutions are proposed.