Date of Award
Spring 6-14-2013
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Leonard A. Jason, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Grace Budrys, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
William Cody, Ph.D.
Abstract
Sponsorship is considered a critical element of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) recovery paradigm. Adult individuals (Mean age = 41.0 years) participated in a study to investigate the qualities and characteristics that make for an effective sponsor. These individuals (N = 231) had either experience as a sponsee or had been sponsors (n = 109). The study included three major analytical tasks: a qualitative open ended question on characteristics, a choice and ranking exercise of 20 attributes, and a conjoint analysis of hypothetical sponsors differing on five attributes across three levels. Results suggest current engagement in AA is the most critical attribute along with such characteristics as trustworthiness, integrity, and confidentiality. Availability also ranked high. These findings point to several paths for future research including measurement development and longitudinal effects of sponsorship on recovery trajectories.
Recommended Citation
Stevens, Ed, "An Exploratory Investigation of the Alcoholics Anonymous Sponsor: Qualities, Characteristics, and Their Perceived Importance" (2013). College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations. 49.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/csh_etd/49