Chemical Dependency Counselor CCDC Exam Research & Evidence-Based Practice 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical principle is most directly violated when a researcher fails to disclose a conflict of interest in a published study?
- Beneficence
- Justice
- Integrity/Honesty (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Integrity/Honesty
Failing to disclose a conflict of interest violates the ethical principle of integrity and honesty in research reporting.
Question 2: When applying evidence-based practice, a counselor should integrate research evidence with:
- Research evidence alone, as it supersedes all other considerations
- Clinical expertise and client values and preferences (Correct answer)
- The most recent treatment manual regardless of client fit
- Agency policy only
Correct answer: Clinical expertise and client values and preferences
EBP is defined as the integration of best research evidence, clinical expertise, and client values—all three components are required.
Question 3: A program uses pre- and post-test scores without a control group to assess treatment outcomes. This is best described as a:
- Randomized controlled trial
- Case-control study
- Pre-experimental or single-group design (Correct answer)
- Longitudinal cohort study
Correct answer: Pre-experimental or single-group design
A pre-experimental single-group pre-post design lacks a comparison group, making causal attribution difficult but allowing simple outcome tracking.
Question 4: Relapse Prevention (RP) therapy is grounded in which theoretical model?
- Psychodynamic theory
- Social learning and cognitive-behavioral theory (Correct answer)
- Humanistic theory
- Biological disease model only
Correct answer: Social learning and cognitive-behavioral theory
Marlatt's Relapse Prevention model is based on social learning theory and CBT, focusing on identifying triggers, coping skills, and cognitive restructuring.
Question 5: In program evaluation, 'process evaluation' is primarily concerned with:
- Whether the program achieved its intended outcomes
- How the program was delivered and whether it reached the target population (Correct answer)
- Cost-effectiveness of the program
- Long-term follow-up of program graduates
Correct answer: How the program was delivered and whether it reached the target population
Process evaluation examines implementation fidelity, service delivery, and whether the program is reaching its intended participants.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a 'leading indicator' in substance use treatment outcome research?
- Six-month abstinence rate
- Therapeutic alliance scores measured at session three (Correct answer)
- Lifetime history of substance use
- Number of prior treatment episodes
Correct answer: Therapeutic alliance scores measured at session three
Early therapeutic alliance is a leading indicator because it predicts future outcomes before the endpoint of treatment is reached.
Question 7: When a counselor reads that a new opioid treatment has a 'number needed to treat' (NNT) of 5, this means:
- The treatment takes 5 months to show benefit
- 5 patients must be treated for one additional patient to benefit compared to control (Correct answer)
- 5% of patients benefit from the treatment
- The treatment costs five times more than alternatives
Correct answer: 5 patients must be treated for one additional patient to benefit compared to control
NNT indicates how many patients need to receive a treatment for one patient to benefit who would not have benefited from the control condition.
Chemical Dependency Counselor CCDC Exam Research & Evidence-Based Practice 5
Which ethical principle is most directly violated when a researcher fails to disclose a conflict of interest in a published study?