Biomedical subjects

P R Laughlin

Publications and source records attributed to P R Laughlin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1997

Personality, social networks, and perceived social support among alcoholics: a structural equation analysis.

In this study we tested relations among personality characteristics, social network properties, and perceived social support both concurrently and prospectively. A sample of 294 men in treatment at a Department of Veterans Affairs Alcohol Treatment Unit was assessed during treatment and 3 months after discharge. Results of the cross-sectional structural equation analyses indicated that the personality characteristics of extraversion and neuroticism were related to both social network properties and perceived social support. Characteristics of the alcoholic's social network were also related to perceived availability of support. Longitudinal analyses of perceived social support after treatment indicated that two social network properties (size of the network and the proportion of confidants) were predictive net of initial levels of social support. Extraversion and neuroticism were found to be indirectly related to perceived social support at Time 2 through their effects on social network properties and perceived social support during treatment. Implications of these findings for models of the nature and determinants of perceived social support are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1992

Social support and depression in men during alcoholism treatment.

Psychiatric comorbidities have been shown to be important predictors of the outcome of alcoholism treatment. This study examines whether perceived lack of social support can be identified as an independent predictor of symptoms of depression experienced during alcoholism treatment over and above the effects of personality characteristics and the severity of alcohol and psychiatric history. We studied 189 alcoholic men in treatment at a rural midwestern Department of Veterans Affairs medical center. Multiple regression analyses found that reduced social support significantly predicted depression (measured by the Beck Depression Inventory) during treatment while controlling for personality characteristics and the alcoholism and psychiatric subscales of the Addiction Severity Index. Although self-esteem, neuroticism, and psychiatric severity also were significantly associated with depression in the hierarchical regression model, social support demonstrated the strongest unique contribution to depression of any of the predictors. These results suggest that social support has an independent association with depression and perhaps may play an important role in improving treatment compliance and the outcome of alcoholism treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Social support and outcome of alcoholism treatment: an exploratory analysis.

Social support is becoming recognized as a positive influence on health and health maintenance. Forms of support which bolster the patient's sense of personal efficacy should enhance the alcoholic's ability to cope with a specific stressor (i.e., overcoming his or her addiction). Patients reporting higher levels of social support during alcoholism treatment, especially support that enhances his or her self-esteem, should therefore demonstrate improved outcome compared to patients with lower levels. Sixty-one consecutive admissions to an inpatient alcoholism treatment program at a rural midwestern medical center completed an assessment of six forms of social support (Guidance, Reliable Alliance, Reassurance of Worth, Opportunity for Nurturance, Attachment, and Social Integration) in terms of support obtained from family and friends and from the treatment environment. For each patient, additional information concerning age, marital status, financial support, and previous alcohol-related hospitalizations was also obtained. Outcome of treatment was measured by readmission for an alcohol-related diagnosis within 1 year of discharge. Survival analysis found that reassurance of worth from family and friends and number of previous hospitalizations were independent and significant predictors of time to readmission. Higher levels of reassurance of worth or esteem support significantly lengthened time to readmission, with the reverse relationship found for number of previous hospitalizations. These results suggest that specific sources (family and friends) and forms (reassurance of worth) of social support are important to the recovering alcoholic and that the effect of social support on treatment outcome is independent of the alcoholic's history of prior treatment failure. Interventions or program modifications should be designed specifically to bolster these facets of social support rather than addressing more general forms of support.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Patterns of change in functional status in extended care.

Most investigators and policymakers assume that the functional abilities of long-term care patients are stable over time. If short-run fluctuations in functional ability occur, then reimbursement and quality control systems based on case mix will have to account for whatever changes can be reasonably expected. However, the probability that the functional status of an extended-care patient will decline, improve, remain constant, or fluctuate over the short run is unknown. Analysis of 191 Veterans Administration extended-care patients over 12 weeks reveals that patient functional status is unstable in some wards and that patients in wards providing a higher level of care are more likely to be unstable and to be discharged in an improved condition. These findings suggest that nursing homes operating under case-mix reimbursement systems will find skilled patients to be more attractive than other nursing home patients. Variability in dependency is related to patient turnover. Turnover rates can be used to adjust patient assessments for expected variability in dependency. Adjusted dependency scores should be used in long-term care reimbursement systems for planning quarterly staffing requirements and for quality control systems based on patient outcomes.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1983