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Biomedical subjects

A R Tarbox

Publications and source records attributed to A R Tarbox.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Changes in alcohol expectancies and drinking behavior among treated problem drinkers.

Research on alcohol expectancies among clinical populations has not focused on the extent to which changes in alcohol expectancies correspond to changes in drinking. In this investigation, male and female problem drinkers participating in an outpatient treatment focused on drinking reduction techniques provided data on drinking behavior and alcohol expectancies at pretreatment, posttreatment and at an 18-month follow-up. Results showed a significant relationship between decreases in alcohol expectancies and decreased drinking. Decreases in alcohol expectancies were not found over the course of the 8-week treatment, but instead at the 18-month follow-up. Implications and future research needs are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Freshman and senior medical students' attitudes toward the elderly.

The authors' purpose in the present study was to examine attitudes toward the elderly among medical students and the impact of medical education on such attitudes. Questionnaires first used in a similar study in the 1960s were administered to freshman and senior medical students in 1981 and 1984 at one medical school. Comparison of these two groups indicated that the seniors viewed the elderly more positively than did the freshmen in certain areas, namely the productivity, social significance, and sexuality of the aged. To control for potentially confounding shifts in cultural values in society as a whole and in medical school selection variables, the two freshman groups were compared, and the two senior groups were compared. Results of these analyses indicated few, if any, differences between the freshman classes of 1981 and 1984 or between the senior classes of the same years. Finally, a longitudinal analysis was performed to contrast the attitudes of the students first sampled as freshmen in 1981 to their perceptions as seniors in 1984. Further, the results of the present study were compared with those of a similar study in the 1960s. Taken together, these results indicate that attitudes toward the elderly are becoming more favorable in society in general and in medical schools in particular and that the medical education process was responsible for the more favorable attitudes expressed by the senior medical students.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Effects of drinking pattern on neuropsychological performance among alcohol misusers.

To investigate neuropsychological performance among alcohol misusers as a function of drinking pattern, duration of problem drinking and age, 297 alcohol dependent inpatients who were chemically free approximately 10 days were studied. An analysis of variance design was used with age (less than 40 years, greater than or equal to 40 years), drinking pattern (bout, daily) and length of problem drinking (short-term, 0-4 years; middle-term, 5-10 years; long-term, greater than 10 years) serving as the between-subjects factors. Results showed that bout drinkers performed significantly better than daily drinkers on measures of short-term memory, internal scanning and visuospatial-visuomotor performance. Duration of problem drinking appeared to exert a much weaker effect on test performance, but age was a critical variable in predicting subjects' vulnerability to neuropsychological deficits.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1986

Contrasting binge and continuous alcoholic drinkers using demographic and drinking history variables.

While it is quite common for researchers and clinicians to categorize alcoholics as binge or continuous drinkers, relatively little is known about the characteristics of these two potentially distinct clinical populations. In the present study, binge and continuous alcoholics were evaluated on a number of demographic and drinking history variables. Binge drinkers were found to be significantly more likely than continuous drinkers to have been treated for liver problems and more likely to have reported parental alcoholism. They also tended to describe a greater number of alcohol-related arrests and hospitalizations. Six of the variables taken together yielded a discriminative function that was only moderately successful in classifying these drinkers. The potential clinical importance of objectively identifying binge versus continuous drinkers is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

A cognitive typology of alcoholism: implications for treatment outcome.

The present study related patterns of alcohol-related cognitive deficits to the adjustment of the alcoholic at 2-year posttreatment follow-up. Patterns of cognitive control, based on the extent to which the individual utilized information concerning contemplated action (i.e., internal scanning), were studied within a sample of 42 male alcoholics shortly after the beginning of treatment. Adjustment scores at 2-year follow-up were determined by the subject's level of functioning in a variety of life-functioning domains (based on phone interviews with subjects and collateral sources). More effective internal scanning proved to be predictive of better adjustment 2 years following the assessment. In addition, alcoholics less aware of internal cues, defined as narrow internal scanners, more often reported drinking to reduce tension than did broad scanning alcoholics. The narrow internal scanning alcoholics also were slower learners at an electromyographic biofeedback training task than were the broad internal scanning alcoholics. These findings are interpreted in the context of a cognitive typology of alcoholism based on relative skills/deficits in internal cue processing. Factors relating to differential responsivity to treatment are discussed, and concomitant implications for treatment are noted.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Cognitive deficits as a function of years of alcohol abuse.

The present study relates duration of alcohol abuse and degree of cognitive impairment among a population of alcohol dependent subjects (DSM-III). Data on 175 consecutively admitted patients were first examined to empirically establish operational definitions of short-term and long-term alcohol abuse for this population. Five or more consecutive years of alcohol abuse was thus defined by a median split as long-term alcoholism. The next 125 consecutive admissions were subsequently identified as either Short-Term or Long-Term alcoholics according to this criterion. Data gathered from these 125 subjects represented a wide range of neuropsychological measures. Analyses showed that Long-Term alcoholics demonstrated significantly greater cognitive deficits on tasks of psychomotor speed, recent memory, and overall alertness relative to less chronic alcoholics. This pattern occurred independent of age and education. These findings are interpreted in terms of a cognitive typology of alcoholism, and implications for treatment, including aftercare and cognitive remediation techniques, are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The elderly in nursing homes: psychological aspects of neglect.

It has been argued that many elderly people are placed in nursing homes to isolate them from view, and little research has been done to investigate the effects of such isolation. Some research has focused on certain aspects of abuse and neglect of the elderly, particularly physical, material, and fiscal aspects of abuse. The purpose of this paper is to discuss psychological aspects of abuse and neglect of the elderly in the nursing home environment. Data are presented indicating that psychological aspects of neglect are subtle and not readily apparent to the observer; yet they may be very impactful in terms of their effects. Data also are presented indicating that they constitute the most common form of abuse. Psychological aspects of neglect are divided into categories including: the nature of the physical environment; nutrition and diet; physical appearance and grooming; infantilization; environmental deprivation; and benign neglect. Possible interventions are offered as alternatives to neglect, and research data are summarized as to how such interventions might benefit both the elderly and the clinical staff dealing with such a population.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Alcoholism, biofeedback and internal scanning.

Alcoholics had higher levels of baseline muscle tension than nonalcoholics but they learned to reduce it via biofeedback as well as nonalcoholics. The level of awareness of internal cues affected the learning of biofeedback and the use of alcohol to reduce tension.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Neuromuscular learning in middle-stage male alcoholics.

In order to investigate the long-term effects of alcoholism on neuromuscular learning and control, middle-stage alcoholics were compared to nonalcoholics regarding ability to relax the frontalis muscle group via electromyographic biofeedback. Alcoholics were found to be as capable as nonalcoholics in reducing muscle tension. Alcoholics were noted to demonstrate significantly higher baseline levels of muscle tension prior to relaxation training, and these results are discussed in terms of the tension reduction hypothesis of alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Abuse of the elderly--the hidden agenda. I. The caretakers and the categories of abuse.

An overview of the problem of abuse of the elderly is presented in an effort to guide future research. Categories of caretakers for the aged include formal (i.e., institutional settings) and informal (e.g., family, neighbors, sitters). Data are presented from a task force report on the status of nursing homes in the State of Texas. Categories of abuse are discussed under four divisions: physical, psychologic, material, and fiscal. Deliberate physical abuse by formal caretakers was the least common; physical neglect was far more common, e.g., the development of decubitus ulcers, inadequate nutrition, improper medication, and vermin infestation. Psychologic abuse was most frequent in the area of benign neglect, with patients regarded as "going to die anyway." A tendency toward infantilization by formal caretakers was observed. Material abuse included primarily theft, chiefly of personal items rather than medication items. Fiscal abuse included embezzlement of patients' trust funds, improper charges for service, failure to notify the State of the death or departure of a patient, abuse for drugs, and artificial upgrading of Medicaid recipients' classifications. Possible causes of abuse are reviewed.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Abuse of the elderly-the hidden agenda. II. Future research and remediation.

A schema for future research and efforts to remediate abuse of the elderly is presented. In the community at large, increased exposure of and education pertaining to the elderly are needed in order to intensify the public/community presence and reduce prejudices. In the medical community, improvements are needed in the extent of geriatric training, the ethics of pronouncement of death, the reliability of clinical documents, and the reporting of suspected cases of abuse. In the legal community, there is need for laws prohibiting abuse and neglect, and providing opportunity for recovery of minimum damages, with covering of attorney's fees and court costs. It is proposed that the administrative process be altered so as to provide either a financial penalty for abuse and neglect, or a reward for providing superior care.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Cognitive structure and behavioral regulation in alcoholics.

Compared with nonalcoholics, alcoholics were less able to focus on relevant cues (i.e., they had weaker cognitive control) and less able to recall pertinent ideas or events and possible consequences (i.e., their internal scanning was narrower).

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1979

Self-regulation and sense of competence in men alcoholics.

Although alcoholics' performance on three measures of self-regulatory competence was markedly inferior to that of nonalcoholics, alcoholics' overestimates of their ability and underestimates of their limitations were greater than those of nonalcoholics.

Achievement↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Posttraumatic stress disorder in electric burn patients.

It was hypothesized that burn injuries electric in origin may have a poor prognosis for rehabilitation and return to work. Ten electrically injured burn patients were compared to seven patients whose burns were nonelectric, after all 17 had shown clinically significant emotional problems during rehabilitation. Results of psychological tests from both groups were also compared to results in three other groups: psychiatric, chronic pain, and blepharospasm patients. Results indicated that patients with electric burns had the most severe psychopathologic symptoms and the least likelihood of returning to work. Only the factor of educational background was predictive of degree of psychological distress, prognosis for returning to work, and response to psychological intervention. Results are discussed within a one-trial aversive conditioning paradigm potentially unique to electric injuries.

Adult↗