ABSTRACT
Family psychosocial functioning and its relation to psychopathology among adolescents with severe emotional disturbances (SED) was assessed. Subjects were 353 adolescents with SED, ages 12-18, and their parents. During a semi-structured interview, adolescents were administered Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES-III), Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Child Version (DISC-C), and the Self-Derogation Scale. Parents were administered FACES-IIII and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in a phone interview. Results indicated that on the FACES-IIII cohesion dimension, both parents and adolescents perceived their family relations as more disengaged and less connected than did normative families (p less than .001). In contrast, only parent FACES-IIII adaptability scores were significantly more extreme than a normative sample (p less than .01). Additionally, both parent and adolescent cohesion scores were significantly correlated with adolescent psychopathology measures: DISC-C conduct disorder (p less than .01), depression (p less than .05), alcohol/marijuana (p less than .01), and CBCL externalizing symptoms (p less than .01). These relationships did not deviate from linearity.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Family/psychology , Mental Disorders/psychology , Psychology, Adolescent , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Intelligence , Male , Racial Groups , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
Among 547 adolescents with serious emotional disturbances, ages 12 to 18, this study assessed (1) prevalence of DSM-III substance use disorders (i.e., alcohol and marijuana abuse/dependence), and (2) comorbidity with DSM-III Axis I disorders. Factors of age, sex, state location, and type of treatment program also were examined. Data were analyzed by logistic regression. Significant factors (p less than 0.05) associated with severe alcohol or marijuana abuse/dependency diagnosis included (1) residential mental health treatment program, 2.37 Odds Ratio (OR); (2) conduct disorder diagnosis, 2.18 OR; (3) depression diagnosis, 1.75 OR; (4) states, 1.43 OR; (5) age, 1.29 OR; and (6) a depression x facility interaction, 1.91 OR.
Subject(s)
Affective Symptoms/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Adolescent , Affective Symptoms/psychology , Alcoholism/epidemiology , Alcoholism/psychology , Comorbidity , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Incidence , Male , Marijuana Abuse/epidemiology , Marijuana Abuse/psychology , Mental Disorders/psychology , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The drinking practices of a matched sample of 78 Black and 78 White, male, hospitalized alcoholics were compared. The groups were matched on age and educational level; and they were equivalent in terms of marital and employment status, number of times hospitalized for treatment of alcoholism and other neuropsychiatric disorders, and number of arrests. The Alcohol Use Inventory was used to assess drinking practices. Significant multivariate and univariate analysis of variance indicated that (a) Whites reported greater daily consumption of alcohol, a tendency to perceive alcohol as a means of relieving psychological distress, and a greater level of psychological distress as a consequence of alcohol abuse than Blacks; and (b) Blacks reported a tendency to perceive alcohol as a means to improve mental functioning and to experience more serious psychoperceptual withdrawal symptoms than Whites.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/epidemiology , Black or African American , Adaptation, Psychological , Adult , Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Alcoholism/psychology , Alcoholism/rehabilitation , Cross-Sectional Studies , Florida/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Personality TestsABSTRACT
The authors compared 55 bulimic subjects and 55 normal control subjects using the Beck Depression Inventory, a new scale designed to detect cognitive distortions (the Bulimia Cognitive Distortion Scale), and several perceptual and attitudinal measures of body image. There were significant differences between the bulimic and control groups on all measures except estimates of face width. These findings are discussed in terms of a multifactorial theory of the psychopathogenesis of bulimia.
Subject(s)
Body Image , Bulimia/diagnosis , Cognition , Perception , Personality Inventory , Adolescent , Adult , Attitude , Bulimia/psychology , Female , Humans , Models, PsychologicalABSTRACT
The conception of sex-role attributes as multidimensional has led to the development of the median split and various difference score approaches for assigning individuals to sex-rote categories. In response to the criticisms of information loss and imprecision when applying such methods, this report presents a data manipulation (medz) which combines the masculine and feminine scales in an additive rather than subtractive manner, upholds the continuous nature of the variables, and utilizes the median split for categorization. Comparisons of this technique with the t ratio, difference/median split, and direct difference approaches indicate greater differentiation among androgynous subjects when assessed according to the medz. An application of the process and some rationale for its implementation are provided.
