Calculating And Understanding The Readiness Score
Uses Of The Readiness Score
The readiness score derived from the URICA can be used prior to treatment to predict outcomes. However, when the scores from the URICA are being used to indicate progress during treatment or as end-of-treatment predictors of drinking outcomes, action and maintenance subscale scores and not the readiness score should be used. Remember, though, that these subscale scores represent attitudes and activities related to the stages of change and not precisely state status. The shifts in subscale scores are associated with the shifting people go through during the process of change, which is not a linear, single variable. For further information, please refer to DiClemente, C.C., Schlundt, D., & Gemmell, L. (2004). Readiness and stages of change in addiction treatment. The American Journal on Addictions, 13, 103-119.
Calculating The Readiness Score
Calculating the Readiness Score is done by calculating the means for precontemplation responses, contemplation responses, action responses and the struggling to maintain responses. Once means are found for each of the stage subscales, the mean from the precontemplation is subtracted from the summation of the other three stages. Below you will find grids showing which questions are used to calculate each of the subscale totals, the number to divide by to obtain the mean and the formula below each grid to calculate the readiness score. Remember, if you alter the order of the questions from the order already used in our versions of the URICA, you must adjust the grid to account for changes in numbering to be certain the questions are correctly linked to the stages.
Cut-Off Scores:
Cut-off scores can be created for the readiness score but it is important to consider your population and how conservative you want to be. Cut-off scores are essentially arbitrary and you should be thinking about the stages as least ready, middle and most ready.
For the general population, the following cut-off scores may be appropriate:
8 or lower classified as People in Precontemplation
8-11 classified as People in Contemplation
11-14 classified as People in Preparation or Action
For intensive service populations, it may be more appropriate to use only score in the range of 12-14 to classify those in preparation and action.
URICA 32 Item Versions
| Precontemplation | Contemplation | Action | Maintenance | |
| Question Numbers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | 4 (omit)* | 7 | 9 (omit)* | |
| 11 | 8 | 10 | 16 | |
| 13 | 12 | 14 | 18 | |
| 23 | 15 | 17 | 22 | |
| 26 | 19 | 20 (omit)* | 27 | |
| 29 | 21 | 25 | 28 | |
| 31 (omit)* | 24 | 30 | 32 | |
| Total: | ||||
| Divide by: | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Mean: |
*For the questions that say “Omit” do not include them in your summation of scores for each stage subscale.
To obtain a Readiness to Change score, first sum items from each subscale and divide by 7 to get the mean for each subscale. Then sum the means from the Contemplation, Action, and Maintenance subscales and subtract the Precontemplation mean (C + A + M – PC = Readiness).
URICA 28 Item Versions
| Precontemplation | Contemplation | Action | Maintenance | |
| Question Numbers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 7 | 6 | 14 | |
| 9 | 10 | 8 | 16 | |
| 11 | 13 | 12 | 19 | |
| 20 | 17 | 15 | 24 | |
| 23 | 18 | 22 | 25 | |
| 26 | 21 | 27 | 28 | |
| Total: | ||||
| Divide by: | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Mean: |
To obtain a Readiness to Change score, first sum items from each subscale and divide by 7 to get the mean for each subscale. Then sum the means from the Contemplation, Action, and Maintenance subscales and subtract the Precontemplation mean (C + A + M – PC = Readiness).
URICA 24 Item Versions:
| Precontemplation | Contemplation | Action | Maintenance | |
| Question Numbers | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | 6 | 4 | 12 | |
| 7 | 9 | 8 | 15 | |
| 16 | 13 | 11 | 20 | |
| 19 | 14 | 18 | 21 | |
| 22 | 17 | 23 | 24 | |
| Total: | ||||
| Divide by: | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Mean: |
In order to obtain a Readiness to Change score, first sum items from each subscale and divide by 6 to get the mean for each subscale. Then sum the means from the Contemplation, Action, and Maintenance subscales and subtract the Precontemplation mean (C + A + M – PC = Readiness).
URICA 12 Item Version—DELTA Project Reduced Drinking
| Precontemplation | Contemplation | Action | Maintenance | |
| Question Numbers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 8 | 9 | 7 | |
| 6 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| Total: | ||||
| Divide By: | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Mean: |
To obtain a Readiness to Change score, first sum items from each subscale and divide by 3 to get the mean for each subscale. Then sum the means from the Contemplation, Action, and Maintenance subscales and subtract the Precontemplation mean (C + A + M – PC = Readiness).