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D McCarty

Publications and source records attributed to D McCarty.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Reasons for drinking: motivational patterns and alcohol use among college students.

A principal components factor analysis of survey data from 393 college student drinkers (178 males) extracted four dimensions from a set of 16 reasons for drinking: avoidance, social, sensation seeking, and enjoyment. Motivational patterns and the relationships with alcohol use were examined with a canonical correlation analysis. Three significant canonical variates were found. The first variate contained students with high scores on all motivational factors. They were heavy drinkers with many alcohol-related problems. The second variate indicated that drinkers who drank primarily for enjoyment tended to be women who drank moderately. Male beer drinkers with strong sensation seeking motivations formed the third variate.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

A residence hall tavern as a collegiate alcohol abuse prevention activity.

An alcohol abuse prevention program used community organization to install an experimental tavern in a university residence hall. Upperclass students enrolled in a course on alcohol education managed the tavern as a vehicle to increase resident participation in alcohol abuse prevention activities. Baseline and follow-up surveys assessed consumption levels, problem frequencies and attitudes about alcohol use. Attendance was high at project events. Students increased their use of nonalcoholic beverages, altered their perceptions of heavy drinking and drinking and driving, and saw the program as improving residence hall parties. Beer, wine and liquor consumption did not change as a result of the program. Similarly, self-reports of problems including hangover, drinking and driving, noise and litter were not influenced. Program goals that attempt to formally modify per capita alcohol consumption were discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Are the endorphins involved in mediating the mood effects of ethanol?

The opiate antagonist, naloxone, was used in a double-blind study of endorphin involvement in ethanol intoxication. Naloxone should block the effect of any endorphins released during ethanol intoxication. Healthy human subjects received intravenous (IV) ethanol plus naloxone, IV ethanol plus saline, IV saline plus naloxone, or IV saline plus saline. There were 20 subjects in each group. Anxiety was aroused after administration of the IV fluids. The effects of ethanol were clear in terms of the mood and physiological measures used, but were not modified by naloxone. A mean blood alcohol concentration of 63 mg/100 ml did not modify the experience of anxiety.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Crystals, joints, and consternation.

I have often imagined that nature is covered over with knitted material. If a loose thread can be located and pulled, one can see some of the underlying picture. With a bit of luck (and a research grant) one can, with the help of one's colleagues, continue to unravel the weave, row after row. Although none of us will live to see all of the picture, not even of a single disease, we may see enough of the process to intervene effectively. Control of uric acid metabolism has already conquered the gout and provides inspiration. Whether control of abnormal calcium crystal deposition will prevent the inflammatory and degenerative arthritides with which such deposition seems to be associated remains a source of consternation.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Attitudes, beliefs and alcohol use. An analysis of relationships.

The relationships between attitudes toward alcohol and actual drinking behavior were examined. Attitudes toward specific drinking behaviors correlated better with those behaviors than did more global attitudes. Heavy drinkers believed that drinking heavily resulted in positive experiences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Alcohol consumption while viewing alcoholic beverage advertising.

Three hypotheses related to viewing alcoholic beverage advertising were examined: (1) alcohol advertising cues drinkings, (2) alcohol advertising prompts faster drinking, and (3) drinkers are more influenced by alcohol advertising when they are drinking. Alcoholic beverage advertisements did not increase either the quantity of liquor poured in mixed drinks or the rate of drinking. However, subjects with an alcoholic predrink who viewed alcohol advertisements second, drank more and reached higher blood alcohol concentrations than alcohol predrinkers who viewed the alcohol advertisements first. In some situations, distilled spirits advertisements may encourage continued drinking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Alcohol, sexual arousal, and the transfer of excitation.

Investigations of the alcohol-related disinhibition of responses to deviant sexual stimuli suggest that the pharmacological actions of ethanol have little influence on the disinhibition process. The mere belief that alcohol is consumed is sufficient to induce increased sexual arousal. Studies with conventional stimuli, however, suggest that interactions occur between the pharmacological presence of ethanol and the psychological expectations of its presence. Thus, this article examines the contribution of pharmacological, cognitive, and environmental variables to perceived sexual arousal. A balanced-placebo design varied drink instruction and drink content independently. Pictures that elicited either a low or moderate level of self-reported sexual arousal were viewed and evaluated by men (n = 64) and women (n = 64) after completing their drinks. The evaluations and arousal measures suggested significant Instruction X Content X Arousal interactions. The strongest perceptions of arousal occurred among individuals who did not know they were drinking alcohol (i.e., subjects who were told that their alcoholic drinks did not contain alcohol). Apparently, when drinkers were unaware of the alcohol intoxication, the pharmacological excitation induced by alcohol transferred to the perception and evaluation of the slides.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of the Addiction Severity Index with homeless substance abusers.

The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) is a widely adopted assessment instrument that provides severity ratings of the multiple problems exhibited by alcohol and drug dependent persons and allows for quantitative assessment (composite scores) of client status in these problems areas over time. ASI change scores of homeless and near homeless substance abusers, generated by contrasting ASI composite scores at two points in time, show a high level of agreement to objective relapse data from the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services Management Information System. Clients readmitted to a publicly funded detoxification facility exhibited significantly lower mean change scores on five of the seven problems areas measured by the ASI. These data illustrate the applicability of the ASI to homeless men and women and the utility of the ASI in measuring client improvement.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Substance abuse treatment for pregnant women: a window of opportunity?

The use of substance abuse treatment services by pregnant and nonpregnant women was compared to explore the effects of pregnancy on treatment utilization and outcomes. Treatment service records for 227 pregnant drug- and alcohol-dependent women and a matched comparison group of 277 nonpregnant women were retrieved from the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services Management Information System. Treatment services received by the two groups of women during a 6-month period following an index detoxification were tabulated and compared. Treatment services for pregnant women differed quantitatively and qualitatively from the services received by nonpregnant women over the 6-month time period. After controlling for background characteristics and substance abuse history, pregnant women were 1.7 times more likely to be readmitted to detoxification, 2.8 times more likely to enter residential facilities, and 5.4 times more likely to enter methadone programs. For both groups, the use of outpatient and/or residential treatment services following discharge from detoxification significantly reduced the risk of subsequent detoxification admissions. The increased likelihood of admission to detoxification, residential, and methadone services suggests that treatment programs have improved access to care for pregnant women. Multiple detoxification admissions suggest, however, that some pregnant women have difficulty entering stable recovery. Given the brevity of the gestational period and the detrimental effects of drug and alcohol use on fetal outcomes, the use of continuing treatment services for pregnant women is strongly recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Substance abuse treatment and HIV services: Massachusetts' policies and programs.

States and communities use many strategies and policies to facilitate the integration of HIV and AIDS services with alcoholism and drug abuse treatment and prevention programs. Massachusetts' policy initiatives that promoted collaboration between substance abuse programs and AIDS services are outlined. The review begins with an overview of the HIV epidemic in Massachusetts and reflects on the initial challenges of building system capacity so that HIV and substance abuse services could become more closely integrated. The discussion summarizes specific policy strategies implemented to encourage system development and to develop program and staff skills for working with men and women with HIV/AIDS and at risk of infection. The initiatives included integration of alcoholism and drug abuse treatment programs, expansion of Medicaid reimbursement for substance abuse treatment, training and skills development for counselors, and coordinated service development and advocacy for substance abuse and development for counselors, and coordinated service development and advocacy for substance abuse and AIDS/HIV services.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The impact of substance abuse treatment modality on birth weight and health care expenditures.

During the 1990s, substance abuse treatment programs were developed for pregnant women to help improve infant birth outcomes, reduce maternal drug dependency and promote positive lifestyle changes. This study compared the relative impact of five treatment modalities--residential, outpatient, residential/outpatient, methadone and detoxification-only--on infant birth weight and perinatal health care expenditures for a sample of 445 Medicaid-eligible pregnant women who received treatment in Massachusetts between 1992 and 1997. Costs and outcomes were measured using the Addiction Severity Index and data from birth certificates, substance abuse treatment records and Medicaid claims. Multiple regression was used to control for intake differences between the groups. Results showed a near linear relationship between birth weight and amount of treatment received. Women who received the most treatment (the residential/outpatient group) delivered infants who were 190 grams heavier than those who received the least treatment (the detoxification-only group) for an additional cost of $17,211. Outpatient programs were the most cost-effective option, increasing birth weight by 139 grams over detoxification-only for an investment of only $1,788 in additional health care and treatment costs. A second regression using five intermediate treatment outcomes--prenatal care, weight gain, relapse, tobacco use and infection--suggested that increases in birth weight were due primarily to improved nutrition and reduced drug use, behaviors which are perhaps more easily influenced in residential settings.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dimensions of homelessness.

Investigations of homelessness have been hampered by the lack of operational definitions sensitive enough to achieve subgroup differentiation and simple enough to permit replication. As a consequence, programming and policy development have often proceeded based on varying assessments of the composition, size, and needs of the homeless population. This paper describes the empirical use of duration of homelessness and dwelling place as elements of an operational definition of homelessness. The approach reflects a conceptualization of homelessness as a continuous variable that can be described by coordinates of time and place. A screening instrument that quantified the homeless experience was developed and evaluated in conjunction with a federally funded demonstration project for homeless substance-abusing men and women. Eight hundred and thirty-nine men and women from six public detoxification centers were screened over a two-year period that began in August 1988. Respondents were asked eight questions to assess duration (time) and location (place) of homelessness before they entered the detoxification center. A simple index was constructed retrospectively and found to differentiate the sample into homeless and near-homeless subgroups. Between-group differences were statistically significant in demographics, presenting problems, and probability for successful intervention. These data paralleled previously reported differences between homeless subgroups and support the concurrent validity of the index. Cronbach's alpha (.72) showed the index to be moderately reliable. Differentiation of homeless persons into meaningful subgroups appears possible and programmatically recommended. Homelessness is not a unitary phenomenon, and it is unlikely to respond to therapeutic interventions that fail to consider individual differences.

Boston↗