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Biomedical subjects

M Amodeo

Publications and source records attributed to M Amodeo.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Racial and ethnic differences in drug treatment entry of injection drug users in Massachusetts.

This article examines patterns of drug treatment entry among 28,000 adult injection drug users (IDUs), with special attention to racial and ethnic differences. The data analyzed originates from a statewide drug-treatment database covering four years. Through the use of logistic regression analysis, the study identified significant population differences between those who used detoxification only, those who used residential treatment and those who used methadone maintenance. Latino IDUs were approximately a third less likely than Caucasian IDUs to enter residential treatment and African American IDUs were half as likely as Caucasian IDUs to enter methadone maintenance treatment. This article discusses specific programmatic and research implications including the need to determine whether differential entry rates are due to access, client awareness, cultural, referral or other factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Social workers and subbstance-abusing clients: caseload composition and competency self-ratings.

Past research and reports from the field have described social workers as having a host of negative responses to alcohol- and drug-abusing clients. Some found that substance abuse training increased social workers' sense of security and legitimacy in the therapeutic role with such clients. We report on 23 master's level social workers (MSWs) who completed an intensive 9-month substance abuse training program (trainees) and 22 MSW comparison subjects (comparisons). Both trainees and comparisons completed caseload forms identifying their clients by diagnosis and self-rated their competence to assess and treat each client. We predicted that workers trained in substance abuse, when compared with workers who lacked such intensive training, would (a) assess and treat more substance-abusing clients, (b) work with more complex substance-abusing clients (i.e., dually diagnosed clients), and (c) perceive themselves to be more competent to assess and treat substance-abusing clients. No significant differences were found between trainees and comparisons on relevant background variables. Using the t-test statistic to compare groups, we found that social workers trained in substance abuse had more substance abuse cases, with and without additional diagnoses, and rated themselves higher on two of six competency measures: in intervening with clients when all diagnoses were combined and in intervening when substance abuse only diagnoses were combined. This study takes the work a step further in demonstrating how social workers translate substance abuse training into practice. However, findings must be interpreted cautiously since training participants were not assigned randomly and selection bias may have been operating. The study is relevant for other health, mental health, and human service professionals for whom negative attitudes and behavior toward substance-abusing clients may be influenced by education and training.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Social workers employed in substance abuse treatment agencies: a training needs assessment.

This article describes the results of an assessment of the substance abuse treatment training needs of social workers working in randomly selected substance abuse treatment facilities in New England. This assessment revealed that clinical supervision related to substance abuse treatment had not been available to a significant percentage of the respondents throughout their careers. Despite limited previous training experience and considerable barriers to current training, social workers surveyed in this study reported significantly higher levels of knowledge and skill than other substance abuse treatment providers in 10 of 12 substance abuse treatment areas investigated. Despite these high levels of knowledge and skill, respondents reported considerable need for and interest in additional substance abuse treatment training. This study identified the areas of assessment, advanced clinical techniques, and dual diagnosis as priorities for future training among social workers working in substance abuse treatment facilities.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The therapeutic attitudes and behavior of social work clinicians with and without substance abuse training.

This study examines the influence of substance abuse training on social workers in nonaddiction treatment settings. Eighty-one Masters level social workers who completed a 9-month training program were compared with a matched sample of 78 Masters level social workers who did not enroll, with supervisors as collateral informants. Subjects and supervisors were blind to the purpose of the study. Measures included behavior, clinical skills, and self-rated attitudes. After training, trainees were significantly more likely than comparisons to 1) work with substance-abusing clients, 2) have "substance abuse"-related roles, 3) seek jobs that increased their opportunities to work with substance-abusing clients, 4) assess and intervene with substance abuse, and 5) obtain high ratings of optimism, confidence, and competence.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Interdisciplinary teams in health care and human services settings: are they effective?

Empirical evidence for the efficacy of interdisciplinary teams is essential in the current context of managed care. Because careful assessment of the interdisciplinary team has important implications for patients and health care professionals, as well as employers, the authors read over 2,200 abstracts and analyzed 224 articles from four databases in eight health-related fields. Articles were grouped by the type of analysis engaged in by their authors (descriptive, process-focused, empirical, or outcome), by methodology (none, general research, or quantitative), and by domains of interest (patient care, personnel, or management). Findings indicate significant weaknesses in terminology and research content. Directions for future research that would help ascertain the contribution of the interdisciplinary team are outlined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Evaluating outcomes in a substance abuse training program for Southeast Asian human service workers: problems in measuring change cross-culturally.

The following article describes the evaluation challenges faced in a cross-cultural substance abuse training program. Non-Southeast Asian instructors designed and taught courses for Cambodian and Vietnamese human service workers over a two-year period. Although cultural considerations were a central focus in the design of the program, instructors underestimated the difficulty of modifying standard questionnaires for use with Southeast Asian participants. As a consequence, the formal evaluation process had limited benefit but several insights were gleaned through alternative evaluation methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Mixed psychosocial outcomes of sisters from families with alcoholic parents.

To examine intrafamilial differences in adulthood among children of alcoholic parents, 14 women with alcoholic parents and their sisters were assessed for this exploratory study. Reported here is the subset of eight "mixed" sister pairs, one with an impaired adult outcome and the other with a well-adjusted adult outcome. Subjects who scored significantly worse than community norms on depressed mood or social supports or who had a psychiatric diagnosis including substance abuse were categorized as impaired, while the remaining women were categorized as well-adjusted. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire and a structured interview. Results showed similarities between the impaired and well-adjusted sisters on individual characteristics, with few differences on characteristics of the parental alcoholism. The most marked differences showed the impaired sisters to score worse than their well-adjusted sisters on characteristics of the home environment and social supports. The impaired women were also more likely to have been physically abused in childhood and to rate the effect of having an alcoholic parent as more negative than the well-adjusted women. Unanticipated findings relating to incest, talents, denial, and racial differences, and their implications for clinicians and researchers, are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Coping methods and reasons for not drinking.

Methods for coping with stress and reasons for not drinking were examined among abstinent alcoholics to determine whether change occurred with length of sobriety. Results showed that 1) alcoholics with briefer abstinence relied more heavily on coping methods, 2) alcoholics relied less on negative than positive coping methods regardless of length of sobriety, and 3) the number and types of reasons for not drinking did not vary with length of sobriety, rather, several positive reasons for not drinking continued as motivators. Concerning coping methods, the authors speculate that as alcoholics remain sober longer, coping methods become less important or automatic and less conscious.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

Parental alcoholism and other family disruptions: adult outcomes among sisters.

Adult outcomes were investigated in 14 pairs of African-American and white daughters of alcoholic parents. On the basis of four outcome factors, subjects were divided into three sister-pair categories: well-adjusted, impaired, and mixed. Interviews and standardized questionnaires showed that family-of-origin variables contributing to the impaired adult outcomes included parental psychiatric problems and childhood abuse or neglect.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Abstinence, reasons for not drinking, and life satisfaction.

This study examines the reasons given for not drinking by abstinent alcoholics with varying lengths of sobriety. A Reasons for Not Drinking Scale is tested, as well as the Purpose in Life Questionnaire and Life Satisfaction Scale. Subjects are 60 males from a VA population. Results show that subjects with less education and those treated in a detoxification setting are more likely to endorse negative reasons for not drinking. Individuals with short and long abstinence have a higher level of life "dissatisfaction" than those with moderate periods of abstinence. The study suggests that purpose in life, life satisfaction, and reasons for not drinking are important measures of progress in treatment and movement through phases of recovery.

Adaptation, Psychological↗