The ovarian steroid hormone estrogen (E2) elicits a multiplicity of both systemic and uterotropic responses in vivo. For example, the administration of E2 to ovariectomized (Ovx) and sexually immature rodents leads to uterine-specific inflammatory infiltrates. In this study, we quantitated the number of eosinophils and BM8+, Ia+, and CD4+ cells in uteri obtained from adult Ovx control and E2-treated C57BL/6J, C3H/HeJ, and (C57BL/6J x C3H/HeJ) (B6C3) F1 hybrid mice. All three strains exhibited a significant increase in the number of uterine eosinophils and BM8+ macrophages after E2 treatment. However, C57BL/6J and B6C3 F1 hybrid mice responded with a greater number of infiltrating eosinophils and macrophages as compared with C3H/HeJ. A similar analysis of Ia+ and CD4+ cells showed that E2 treatment either down-regulates or does not affect the number of such cells in all three strains. Genome exclusion mapping using a (C57BL/6J x C3H/HeJ) x C3H/HeJ backcross population localized Est1, the major locus controlling the number of eosinophils infiltrating the uterus after E2 treatment, to chromosome 4. In addition, suggestive linkage to marker loci on chromosomes 10 and 16 was detected and evidence for locus interaction is presented. Our results conclusively demonstrate that E2-regulated/ dependent responses can be genetically controlled, indicating that the phenotypic variation observed in both the normal and pathological effects of E2 may, in part, be due to a genetic component.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Children of South Sea Island immigrants to Australia: factors associated with adjustment problems.

Social-delinquent problem youth of South Sea Island immigrant to Australia parents, were compared to non-problem youth from the same circumstances, on family, sociocultural, personality, and substance abuse variables. Interviews and testing were done by members of their own community. A consistent pattern of differences most pronounced for males was found between the two groups although not all reached statistical significance. The problem youth compared to the non-problem youth tended to come from families somewhat lower in socioeconomic level, somewhat less traditional in culture, and notably more prone to discipline by physical punishment than by verbal reasoning. The problem youth had significantly lower self-esteem, significantly higher maladjustment test scores, and significantly greater use and problems with alcohol and drugs. They were more alienated and had less clearly established direction for their future. Recommendations for remediation are considered.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1995

Psychological symptomatology in spouses and adult children of alcoholics: an examination of the hypothesized personality characteristics of codependency.

The concept of codependency has been advanced to explain certain psychological traits purported to be characteristic of spouses and adult children of alcoholics. To test the validity of this hypothesized syndrome, 97 female subjects living with either an alcoholic (SA), a psychiatric patient (SP), or dentistry patient (SD) were studied; approximately 50% of subjects had a positive family history (FH+) for alcoholism. All subjects were administered an extensive battery of psychological tests. The results revealed significantly greater levels of psychological symptomatology among the SA and FH+ subjects, in part consistent with the hypothesized symptomatology of codependency.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Counselor training as a treatment for alcoholism: the helper therapy principle in action.

Extensive harmful drinking of alcohol is a major problem for many groups of Australian Aborigines and western treatment approaches have had limited effect. In order to stress cultural factors in treatment, a program to train indigenous Aborigines as alcoholism counselors for their communities was developed. In its more than 10 years of existence 145 counselors have been graduated. Of those initially entering the two year program 60% have graduated. Most of those have found employment as alcohol counselors for their people, and the numbers of Aborigines treated has increased. About 90% of those who entered the training had severe repeated substance abuse disorders in their recent history. The training and the alcohol counseling employment appears to be highly associated with continuing sobriety. For those who graduated the program only 4.8% returned to drinking. Those who completed only the first phase, 8.4% returned to drinking. Of those who were terminated from the program, 74% returned to drinking. Training alcoholics as alcohol counselors appears to be associated with vocational success and maintenance of sobriety as predicted by Riessman's "helper-therapy principle."

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Substance misuse, emotional disturbance, and dual diagnosis in a meal-line population of mixed ethnicity.

This study investigated the rates of severe substance misuse, severe emotional disturbance, and dual diagnosis in a meal-line population of mixed ethnicity, 75% of whom were homeless and the remainder near-homeless. Alcohol and/or drug use was reported by 93% and severe substance misuse was found in 39% of the population. Severe mental illness was found in 54% of the population. Both conditions, dual diagnosis, was found in 29% of the cases. A cluster analysis of the total population found three types: those with dual diagnosis (24.27%), those with serious substance misuse and personality disorder (39.3%), and those with neither severe disorder (37.3%). The ethnicity of the homeless individual was very weakly, if at all, associated with the disorders.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Australian Aborigines and alcohol: A review.

Following a summary of the relevant historical and legislative background, this article reviews the literature on: (i) rates of alcohol usage and problem drinking in Aboriginal populations; (ii) adverse effects of drinking; (iii) suggested causes of problem drinking among Aborigines; and (iv) treatment and preventive initiatives. The need to examine Aboriginal alcohol use in the wider context of socio-economic deprivation and rapid social change is emphasized. Key issues warranting further research attention are identified and, while recognizing the difficulties inherent in doing so, suggestions are made as to how the quality of research in the area might be raised. It is concluded that, without long-term planning and commitment of the necessary resources by government, little progress will be made in reducing the problems associated with Aboriginal use of alcohol.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1990

Selecting substance abusers for long-term treatment.

From a population of indigent alcoholics, those selected for long-term treatment were compared with those who were not selected on demographics, personality, and drinking history. A discriminate function analysis accurately classified 84%. The graded stepwise discriminatory variables for selection for long-term treatment were: less extreme MMPI scores on psychopathic deviance, depression, dependency, and hypochondriasis; higher scores on control and ego strength; less severe alcohol history; and slightly higher education. Only 52% of those selected completed long-term treatment. Variables associated with selection for long-term treatment found here are consistent those found associated with treatment completion in other studies. Systematic selection for these variables should improve long-term treatment completion rates.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

An indigenous community mental health service on the Tohono O'odham (Papago) Indian Reservation: seventeen years later.

The status of a fully indigenous mental health program serviced and controlled by the Tohono O'odham (Papago) Indian tribe is reviewed from the perspective of its 17-year history. The program functions in large measure in a crisis intervention model, with suicidal or acutely disturbed cases being most frequent. However, a whole range of disorders and ages are seen. Traditional Medicine Men and Women are often used as consultants, as are some professionals. In recent years child sex abuse and abuse of drugs among youth are prominent problems. The program experienced problems of obtaining services off reservations for patients in need, and in establishing credibility of the Indian Mental Health workers with the outside service providers.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed1988

Detecting faking on the Rorschach: computer versus expert clinical judgment.

In a previous study of the ability of expert Rorschach interpreters to detect faking that used true and malingered protocols, the experts faired very poorly. In this study, 50% of these same protocols were scored by the Exner system and analyzed by Exner's Semantic Computer Interpretation program. The program indicated invalidity of protocols only on the basis of low R and designated the faked protocols high on psychotic descriptors, barely indicating psychosis for the true schizophrenic protocols. Unlike the judges, however, the computer gave no psychotic designation to the normal protocols. The scoring-computer analysis method was as susceptible to faking as were the clinical judgments.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

The indigent alcoholic: personality and psychopathology.

Emotional disorder in a population of indigent detoxified alcoholics from a reception center was assessed by the MMPI and a drinking pattern survey. On the average, these alcoholics had a much greater degree of psychopathology, as measured by various criteria, than found in most other studies. However, a cluster analysis revealed that the population was not homogeneous for psychopathology. The cross-validated clusters yielded three types: I. Severe Emotional Disturbance had extreme elevations on the psychotic and psychopathic deviate scales, and accounted for 28% of the population; II. Impulsive-Antisocial subjects were moderately elevated on psychopathic deviate and depression scales, constituting 26% of population; and III. Little Evidence of Severe Emotional Disturbance had a pattern similar to II but with only one scale somewhat elevated, accounting for 46%. The distinctly different personality patterns of the grouping of indigent alcoholics indicate the need for different treatment strategies.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Field dependence or cognitive impairment in alcoholics.

The nature of the association of field dependence with alcoholism has been predominantly postulated as predispositional in most studies, but as consequential in others. Using the EFT measure and additional measures of cognitive impairment, a significant decrease in both field dependence and cognitive impairments was found to occur within a 3-week period of treatment for alcoholism. Significant moderate-level correlations between field dependence and cognitive measures support an interpretation of the alcohol-field dependence association as being mediated by alcohol-induced cognitive impairment. Methodological differences and differences in measurement instruments may account for the conflicting findings. These results support the hypothesis that field dependence in alcoholics is a consequence of cognitive impairment resulting from alcoholism.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Counselor training as a therapy for alcohol abuse among aboriginal people.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

A personalized power scale for the prediction of alcoholism.

An objective test measure of personalized power was developed to test McClelland's hypothesis. Four existing personality questionnaires that have been considered to be relevant to personalized power were used. These scales were administered to 50 patients in a Veterans Administration alcoholism program and to 50 VA medical outpatients. Items which discriminated the groups at the p less than or equal to .20 level were included in a new scale, which was then cross-validated on a new group of alcoholics and medical outpatients. The resulting 34-item scale was internally consistent (.83) and correctly classified 76% of the alcoholics and 94% of the medical outpatients. Overall, 86% were correctly classified as compared to an overall correct classification by the MacAndrew Scale of 67% on the same population. While the personalized power dimension seemed to add to the scale's predictive ability, the contribution of that dimension appears to be modest at best.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed1985

Maximizing scarce service resources in a rural mental health clinic: should alcoholics be treated in separate programs?

One hundred nineteen patients at rural community mental health centers were divided into three diagnostic groups and compared to determine if alcoholic and nonalcoholic patients differ significantly in terms of psychopathology. The three diagnostic groups were primary diagnosis of alcoholism (N = 34), primary diagnosis of emotional disturbance (N = 39), and "other" diagnoses (N = 46). These groups were compared with respect to demographic variables, alcohol drinking patterns, psychopathology, and attitude toward treatment. The alcoholic patient group tended to be single, male, and inpatients; while the nonalcoholic group tended to be married, female, and outpatients. These groups differed significantly with respect to alcohol consumption and drinking patterns and effects, but did not differ significantly with respect to their attitudes toward mental illness or their MMPI profiles. The results of the "other" diagnostic group generally fell between those of the alcoholic and nonalcoholic groups, suggesting that it was a heterogeneous group of subjects. The total subject population evidenced elevated MMPI profiles, indicating the presence of a high level of psychopathology, but there was no clear distinction between the alcoholics and the other groups in terms of type or degree of psychopathology. Implications for treatment are discussed.

Adult↗