Religiosity as a Predictor of Successful Post-Treatment Abstinence for African-American Clients

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of religiosity as a predictor of post-treatment abstinence. A sample of 96 African-American clients receiving community-based outpatient alcoholism treatment were interviewed at treatment entry and three months later. Achieving complete abstinence was predicted from client gender and 17 other predictors, including 6 substance-related factors, 7 psychosocial and health variables, and 4 religiosity/spirituality measures. Bivariate analyses showed that abstainers drank less prior to treatment, had more prior formal treatment and AA involvement, practiced their religion more regularly, and scored higher on measures of both spirituality and extrinsic religiosity. In addition, women were more likely to achieve abstinence. Forward entry binary logistic regression revealed that, controlling for client gender and pre-treatment consumption, only regular practice of one's religion/faith significantly predicted abstinence. Recommendations include (1) the need for research to evaluate if the current findings can be generalized across race/ethnicity and religious affiliation and (2) directing more attention to clients' religiosity in alcoholism treatment.     

Do resources of network members help in help seeking? Social capital and health information search

Does social capital as resources of network members affect health information search? Analyzing data from the 2004 General Social Survey in the United States, this study measures two social capital indicators (average education of network members and proportion of network members with a high school degree or higher) using the name generator. Most results are consistent using those two indicators. Both indicators are positively associated with frequency of health information seeking and seekers’ frequency of use of two sources (friends or relatives and the Internet). Also average education of network members is positively associated with seekers’ diversity of used sources and frequency of consultation with medical professionals. But neither indicator is associated with seekers’ frequency of use of other four sources (health-related magazines or newsletters, general magazines, daily newspapers, and radio or television programs). The findings demonstrate the theoretical utility of social capital in the social dynamics of medical help-seeking.     

A critique of social indicators analysis and key informants surveys as needs assessment methods

This paper reports data from a pilot study designed to determine the practicality and utility of two differing needs assessment methodologies: social indicators analysis and key informants surveys. The authors found social indicators analysis successfully identified differential areas of need within the SMSA which served as the research site. They suggest it is a practical and valid means for assessing human service needs at a general level. The key informants survey was judged to be less useful. Informants generally were unable to identify the extent of differing types of needs or their geographic distribution. It is suggested additional research utilizing differing designs must be completed before meaningful conclusions can be reached about the utility of the key informants survey as a needs assessment method.     

Marital status and psychological well-being: An individual-environment congruence perspective

The role of the individual's relationship to his environment has achieved central prominence in social science theory, but has not yet been adequately represented and measured through numerical methods. A variety of multivariate regression techniques have been proposed to incorporate individual and environmental level measures in a single regression equation. This article presents a special case of a contextual analysis model in which two sets of predictor variables are statistically treated to create a third set of predictor variables called congruence measures. Each of the three sets of predictor variables are then run separately in multiple regression equations against a fourth set of individual level outcome variables to determine the relative gain in predictive power of the congruence measures over the individual and environmental level variables when they are run alone. Martital status variables are used to illustrate and examine the model.     

The effects of psychiatric symptoms on quality of life assessments among the chronic mentally ill

This study of chronically mentally disabled persons in community residences examined the discriminant validity of subjective quality of life indicators and self-report mental health indices to determine the potential confounding effects of psychopathology on the assessment of quality of life (QOL). Factor analyses and difference-score reliabilities identified a general QOL construct and a general mental health construct with 27% common variance. However, psychiatric symptoms did not significantly (p less than .05) alter the bivariate and multivariate relationships among the QOL ratings, except in the health domain in which the correlations of health-related QOL indicators with global QOL were significantly (p less than .05) attenuated after removing the effects of psychopathology. The results suggest that psychopathology does not introduce bias into the overall structure of QOL data, but they also indicate the importance of controlling for mental health effects in the assessment of patients' self-rated health and satisfaction with health care.     

Attitudinal and behavioral variables related to participation in union activities

A questionnaire was administered to 500 union members. A multiple regression equation was developed using a multi-faceted index of union participation as the criterion with 25 predictor variables: 14 factor scores developed through factor analysis, 9 demographic variables, and 2 measures of perceived control within local unions. There was little shrinkage in the multiple R after double cross-validation. Community-political activities, liberal political beliefs, pro-unionism philosophies, high standards of involvement with unions, and high general job satisfaction-involvement were the five best predictors of union participation. Active union members may view unions as part of a socio-political movement above and beyond their economic and protective functions.     

Evaluating employee assistance policy in an HMO-based alcoholism project.

One aspect of successful employee assistance program (EAP) implementation is the adoption of a formal, written policy, reflecting company commitment to EAP guidelines and goals. This study of criteria predictive of such policy adoption was conducted at the occupational alcoholism project of a New England health maintenance organization (HMO). Data on nearly 400 organizations contacted by occupational program consultants (OPCs) over a 20-month period were collected by questionnaire and interview. One third of these organizations adopted employee assistance policies and set about establishing formal programs. Stepwise multiple regression is the principal method used to pinpoint the correlates of policy adoption. Two of the most important of these are the attitudes of contact persons within the organization toward alcoholism and employee assistance programs, particularly their admission of alcohol problems within their social networks; and the consultants' persistence and marketing skills. The adopting organizations also had reputations for being progressive, and actively concerned about employee welfare; they tended to be large, their executives autonomous, and their union membership rates high. Inhibiting policy acceptance were fears that a written policy would jeopardize the reputation and image of the organization, and that an employee assistance program would remove internal control of personal procedures. The adequacy of the evaluative data and methods are discussed, and recommendations are offered in the interests of streamlining the efforts of OPCs and of achieving greater penetration of targeted organizations.     

Personal and social motivations as predictors of substance use among college students.

The Drug Use Survey was administered via a direct mail to a simple random sample of 2200 students enrolled at a large southwestern U.S. university. A purpose of the study was to determine the predictability of self-reported drug use utilizing motivations (personal and social) commonly reported by substance users. Two subscales were developed, one for each category of motivations. Reliability for each subscale as estimated by coefficient alpha was .80 and .86, respectively. A series of step-wise multiple regression analyses were computed in which individual drug use indices served as criterion variables, while the predictor variables were the personal motivations subscale (PMS) and the social motivation subscale (SMS) for each model. The results indicated that the PMS was the stronger predictor in every model with the exception of the model that predicted the alcohol use index. The SMS was the best predictor for alcohol use.     

Risky alcohol use, peer and family relationships and legal involvement in adolescents with antisocial problems

The aim of the study was to examine risk and vulnerability factors contributing to problems with alcohol use in adolescence. Data relating to seven life areas (medical status, school status, social relationships, family background and relationships, psychological functioning, legal involvement, and alcohol use) was gathered using the ADAD (Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis) interview. A total of 1163 Swedish adolescents (809 boys and 354 girls) between the ages of 12 and 20 years old were interviewed. All had antisocial problems and were detained at special youth homes. It was found that for those aged between 12 and 18 years, the general risk factors for alcohol use were leisure and peer problems, problems associated with family background and relationships, and criminal behavior. These results suggest that drug abuse treatment planning should focus on altering the predisposing factors that exist in these domains. It was also found that the ADAD problem areas seem to be most useful as prognostic indicators of treatment outcome for adolescents with antisocial problems who are under 18 years of age.     

Problems in measuring role strains and social functioning in relation to psychological symptoms

The problems that people experience in social roles can be regarded as either causes or consequences of psychological symptoms. To reflect one of these possibilities, Pearlin et al. (1981) developed measures of "role strains" which are considered sources of psychopathology. To reflect the other position, Dohrenwend et al. (1981) constructed measures of "role functioning" which are seen as consequences of psychopathology. We show that the measures developed by these two teams of investigators are similar in content and show substantial empirical overlap despite the different meanings attributed to them. In an effort to understand whether these highly correlated measures assess, "role strain" or "role functioning," we conduct an exploratory analysis of marital and housework role problems, using a small panel sample of New York City residents. Specifically, we use instrumental variables to identify reciprocal effects between psychological distress and each role area. We find that the relationship between housework role problems and distress is more consistent with Pearlin et al.'s interpretation, whereas the relationship between marital problems and distress is more consistent with that of Dohrenwend et al. Investigators interested in measuring either role strain or role functioning must bear in mind the strong possibility of contamination from the other construct.     

Conditional Fatherhood: Identity Theory and Parental Investment Theory as Alternative Sources of Explanation of Fathering

Two alternative theoretical models of parenting, identity theory and parental investment theory, are investigated as sources of explanation of men's fathering attitudes and behaviors. Four dimensions of fathering are explored: responsivity, harshness, behavioral engagement, and affective involvement. Concepts from identity theory operationalized as predictors include father role salience, role satisfaction, and reflected appraisals. From parental investment theory, concepts included investment maximization, contingent commitment, and paternity certitude. Using telephone survey data drawn from a community‐based probability sample of 208 fathers, each of the four individual indicators of fathering and a composite fathering measure were regressed against the theoretical predictors in hierarchical regression analyses. Both theoretical models were significant, with identity theory predictors accounting for a greater proportion of variance than the parental investment theory predictors. This study underlines the importance of social psychological variables to understanding variations in men's commitments to children.     

The Relationship Between Romantic Partner Support Styles and Body Image Disturbance

ABSTRACT

American women have long been affected by perceptions of beauty being described as the thin female idealizing standards far below the standards for what is considered the ideal body weight. Women have also been strongly influenced by their partners and the opinions that are expressed. To explore this concept further, 170 females were assessed to determine whether romantic partner social support could be a predictor of female body image and eating disturbances. Of the 117 participants that met full criteria for the project, the measures for figure rating preferences, eating disturbance, and body image dissatisfaction were investigated. Along with these indicators, intimate bonding, self-esteem, stress, general social support, and romantic partner support were also collected. Statistical results supported that higher body image dissatisfaction was inversely related to the perception of lower levels of romantic partner support. In addition, esteem support was predictive of female body image disturbance, with no support style being predictive of female eating disturbance. Therefore, findings in this study highlight that receiving support from a romantic partner and general support from other intimates can be directly related to report levels of body image disturbance and anxiety associated with physical appearance. Results are presented to assist evidence-based practice efforts stressing the need to identify and foster all possible types of supportive communication used within intimate relationships.     

BIASED PRESS OR BIASED PUBLIC? ATTITUDES TOWARD MEDIA COVERAGE OF SOCIAL GROUPS

Mass media credibility has been defined and studied largelyas an attribute of message sources. This article argues thattrust in media can be better understood as a relational variable—anaudience response to media content. In addition, audience assessmentsof credibility are commonly explained as the result of eachindividual's skeptical disposition, either toward mass mediain particular or as a general trait. The author dissents fromthis view as well, proposing that distrust is more likely tobe a situational response, stemming from involvement with issuesand groups. Using data from a national probability sample, thehypothesis was tested by analyzing the effect of numerous independentvariables on respondent ratings of newspaper and televisionnews coverage of social groups. As hypothesized, a respon dent'sown group identification proved to be the strongest predictor.The evidence was strengthened by replication across social groups,which provided built-in controls and demonstrated that an importantpart of the variance in trust of mass media news is within personsrather than between persons.     

Disease versus social-learning models of alcoholism in the prediction of alcohol problem recognition, help-seeking, and stigma

Subjects (N = 254) were presented with either a disease or social-learning view of alcoholism and their subsequent attitudes were examined. Presentation of a disease view strengthened endorsement of that model, but attitudes toward alcoholics, treatment effectiveness, problem recognition, and help-seeking were not significantly different between the experimental conditions. Differences in attitudes between high and low disease and social-learning belief subjects were examined in 2 x 2 ANOVAs. Separate multiple regression analyses with alcohol problem recognition, help-seeking, and stigma as composite dependent variables and etiologic beliefs, drinking measures, family history of alcoholism, and responsibility for drinking problems as independent variables were performed. Results show that neither disease nor social-learning beliefs are particularly effective in predicting the dependent variables.     

Cumulative Social-Environmental Adversity Exposure as Predictor of Psychological Distress and Risk Behavior in Urban Youth

The present study examines exposure to adversity as a predictor of psychological distress and risk behavior among 266 elementary students in 14 low income neighborhood schools in Chicago. Two indices of adversity exposure were created, reflecting neighborhood, school, and peer group risk (NSP) and the lack of protective resources within the family and neighborhood (LPR). Regression analyses investigated these indices as independent and potentially interacting predictors of self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, frequency of substance use, and involvement in violence-related behavior. The LPR index was found to be a linear predictor of greater reported anxiety and exhibited a significant curvilinear association with reports of depression, substance use, and violence-related behavior. Similarly, the NSP index was a linear predictor of greater reported levels of substance use and violence-related behavior. Significant interaction between the two indices was found. Implications for research and school clinicians (social workers and psychologists) are offered.     

Dimensions of Involvement in Social Movements

Abstract

Commitment to social movements is sometimes treated as a homogeneous, uni-dimensional phenomenon. Yet there are good theoretical reasons to expect that there are alternative, empirically distinct behavioral sources of commitment. Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) of questionnaire data on participation in Catholic Pentecostalism confirms the empirical distinctness of several modes of behavioral involvement in this contemporary movement. The SSA solution ordered the indicators of involvement along three dimensions. An interpretation of these dimensions is suggested, which appears to have applicability to a wide variety of social movements. Each dimension seems to reflect a dimension of variation in the behavioral sources of commitment to social movements. Should these dimensions indeed prove to be applicable to other movements, they would be useful for comparative analyses of social movement inuolvement.     

Books Nominated for the 1997 AFGAGMAS Citation of Excellence

Abstract

A demographic questionnaire and 7 psychometric tests were administered to 32 self-identified Bondage/Domination/SadoMasochism (BDSM) practitioners. Although psychoanalytic literature suggests that high levels of certain types of psychopathology should be prevalent among BDSM practitioners, this sample failed to produce widespread, high levels of psychopathology on psychometric measures of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsion, psychological sadism, psychological masochism, or PTSD. In fact, on measures of clinical psychopathology and severe personality pathology, this sample appeared to be comparable to both published test norms and to DSM-IV-TR estimates for the general population. There were, however, some exceptions to this general pattern, most notably the higher-than-average levels of narcissism and nonspecific dissociative symptoms found in the sample. This study also raises significant concern about the appropriateness of the diagnosis of sexual masochism and sadism in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association or, minimally, the diagnostic criteria of these disorders.     

Differences between sexual orientation behavior groups and social background,quality of life,and health behaviors

Within the literature, there is some question as to whether bisexual or homosexual persons practice more unhealthy lifestyles and experience a lower quality of life than heterosexual individuals. This study examined possible differences between sexual orientation behavior groups (homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, and no sex partners) on demographic and social background variables, quality of life variables, lifestyle and health variables, and mental health or health background variables in a series of seven national probability samples between the years 1988 and 1996. Respondents were asked to report the sex of their sexual partners since they were age 18 and in the last 12 months. Data from a total of 11,543 interviews were collected by the National Opinion Research Center. Although there were some demographic and social background differences among the sexual orientation behavior (SORB) groups, there was little evidence that the behavioral dimension of sexual orientation is either strongly or directly related to quality of life, lifestyle, or health indicators. The report closes with a consideration of future research questions for this issue.     

Academic Engagement and Achievement Predict Career Adaptability

Abundant evidence indicates that personality, social, cultural, and contextual factors predict career adaptability. However, little research attends to the roles of academic engagement and achievement in career adaptability, especially in non‐Western cultural contexts. We examined the associations of perceived academic engagement dimensions (i.e., behavioral and emotional engagement) and academic achievement with facets of career adaptability among 324 Filipino high school students. Results of hierarchical regression analyses demonstrate that, after controlling for age and gender, behavioral engagement served as the strongest predictor of concern, curiosity, confidence, and control. In addition, perceived academic achievement was the weakest predictor of career adaptability dimensions. Our findings underscore the benefits of integrating active involvement in school‐related tasks to foster career adaptability in high school student populations.