Biomedical subjects

Paul E Greenbaum

Publications and source records attributed to Paul E Greenbaum.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

At-risk high school students in the "Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness" Program (GEAR UP): academic and behavioral outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a GEAR UP intervention with at-risk high school students at a large urban high school in Florida. The goals of the GEAR UP program were to improve academic performance, decrease behavior-related problems, and reduce truancy and absenteeism. The study design consisted of a three-group comparison of the 447 students in GEAR UP: the No Participation Group, the Low Participation Group, and the High Participation Group. Participation levels were calculated for each category of activity (academic, behavior-related, and social), and propensity scoring was used to match the groups on sociodemographic characteristics and other differentiating variables. Results indicated that race (i.e., African American) and sex (i.e., female) are associated with high participation in program activities. Also, students who spent a substantial amount of time on academic activities improved their GPAs over a semester, and students who took advantage of behavior-related services and participated in social activities significantly reduced disciplinary referrals (p < .05). Suggestions for program refinement resulting from the study are discussed.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2006

Changing provider practices, program environment, and improving outcomes by transporting multidimensional family therapy to an adolescent drug treatment setting.

Effective interventions for drug abusing adolescents are underutilized. Using an interrupted time series design, this study tested a multicomponent, multi-level technology transfer intervention developed to train clinical staff within an existing day treatment program to implement multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), an evidence-based adolescent substance abuse treatment. The sample included 10 program staff and 104 clients. MDFT was incorporated into the program and changes were noted in the program environment, therapist behavior, and in most (e.g., drug abstinence, and out of home placements) but not all (e.g., drug use frequency) client outcomes. These changes remained after MDFT supervision was withdrawn.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Variation in the drinking trajectories of freshmen college students.

F. K. Del Boca, J. Darkes, P. E. Greenbaum, and M. S. Goldman (2004) examined temporal variations in drinking during the freshmen college year and the relationship of several risk factors to these variations. Here, using the same data, the authors investigate whether a single growth curve adequately characterizes the variability in individual drinking trajectories. Latent growth mixture modeling identified 5 drinking trajectory classes: light-stable, light-stable plus high holiday, medium-increasing, highdecreasing, and heavy-stable. In multivariate predictor analyses, gender (i.e., more women) and lower alcohol expectancies distinguished the light-stable class from other trajectories; only expectancies differentiated the high-decreasing from the heavy-stable and medium-increasing classes. These findings allow for improved identification of individuals at risk for developing problematic trajectories and for development of interventions tailored to specific drinker classes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Impact of psychiatric comorbidity on treatment of adolescent drug abusers.

Comorbidity of substance abuse disorders (SUD) and psychiatric disorders is one of the most important areas of investigation in contemporary drug abuse treatment research. This study examined the impact of psychiatric comorbidity on the treatment of 182 adolescent drug abusers in a randomized clinical trial comparing family and individual cognitive-behavioral therapy. Three distinct groups of adolescent substance abusers were compared: (1) Exclusive Substance Abusers (SUD only); (2) Externalizers (SUD + externalizing disorder); and (3) Mixed Substance Abusers (SUD + externalizing and internalizing disorder). The purpose of this study was to determine whether adolescents in these comorbid groups differed in clinical presentation and treatment response. More severe comorbidity was associated with greater family dysfunction and being female and younger at intake. An examination of substance use trajectories over time indicated that the Mixed group initially responded to treatment but returned to intake levels of substance use by 1 year post-discharge.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Untangling the web: an approach to analyzing the impacts of individually tailored, multicomponent treatment interventions.

In this paper the use of a maximum individualized change score is proposed as an analytic alternative to the more traditional MANOVA and latent variable approaches in studies examining the use of individually tailored interventions. This strategy offers a number of significant advantages when multiple indicators are used to assess a broad array of potential outcomes that might result from client-specific treatments. Data on 146 children from a study examining the effectiveness of 3 short-term intensive in-home services were used to contrast the results of our proposed analytic strategy with those from the MANOVA and latent variable approaches. Results indicate that the maximum individualized change score approach improves the outcome comparisons among the 3 treatment interventions and eliminates some concerns regarding subjectivity that exists with procedures such as goal-attainment scaling. A simulation study suggests the maximum change score statistics is a nonbiased estimate for assessing between-group differences in program effectiveness and has more power than MANOVA to produce significant differences when smaller program effects exist. Suggestions for strengthening this analytic approach as well as examples regarding use of this technique in other research contexts are also provided.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Up close and personal: temporal variability in the drinking of individual college students during their first year.

Surveys have documented excessive drinking among college students and tracked annual changes in consumption over time. This study extended previous work by examining drinking changes during the freshman year, using latent growth curve (LGC) analysis to model individual change, and relating risk factors for heavy drinking to growth factors in the model. Retrospective monthly assessments of daily drinking were used to generate weekly estimates. Drinking varied considerably by week, apparently as a function of academic requirements and holidays. A 4-factor LGC model adequately fit the data. In univariate analyses, gender, race/ethnicity, alcohol expectancies, sensation seeking, residence, and data completeness predicted growth factors (ps <.05); gender, expectancies, residence, and data completeness remained significant when covariates were tested simultaneously. Substantive, methodological, and policy implications are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Alcohol expectancy mediation of biopsychosocial risk: complex patterns of mediation.

Alcohol expectancies' mediation of many known antecedents' influence on drinking has been well established, but most models have omitted theoretically relevant mediational pathways through both common (overlapping) and unique (nonshared) expectancy variance. The authors of this study evaluated expectancy mediation using a hierarchical expectancy model that specified both common and unique expectancy factors. The hierarchical model mediated a significantly (p <.05) larger percentage of the antecedent influences than a model specifying only common expectancy variance, revealed previously unseen mediational paths, and showed, to the authors' knowledge for the first time, expectancy mediation of protective as well as risk-related antecedents. It also allows the modeling of specific pathways for particular antecedents, rather than treating all expectancy mediation as though it flows through a general expectancy factor.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Alcohol expectancies: integrating cognitive science and psychometric approaches.

AIMS: To demonstrate an integrative methodology to explore psychological constructs, we used multiple methods in the examination of alcohol expectancies-a psychological construct that is generally measured using survey methodology. We then used the methodology in order to assess the relationship of alcohol expectancy dimensions to drinking-related outcomes. DESIGN: We developed alcohol expectancy models using a cognitive paradigm designed to maximize cognitive activation of expectancies, in order to delineate dimensions of alcohol expectancies. Next, using multidimensional scaling (MDS), we defined heuristic models representing domains for arousing, sedating, positive, and negative alcohol expectancies. We then assessed these models in a separate sample using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and covariance structure modeling. SETTING: The research was conducted at a large public university in the southeastern US. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 927 male and female college students ranging in age from 17 to 35 years participated. MEASUREMENTS: Measures included the Alcohol Expectancy Inventory, the Quantity Frequency Index (QFI), and the Drinking Styles Questionnaire. FINDINGS: Single indicator models representing expectancies for arousing and positive effects of alcohol did not differ significantly in the prediction of drinking, and both accounted for significantly more variance in self-reported drinking than expectancies for sedating and negative effects of alcohol consumption. Expectations for the sedating effects of alcohol accounted for significantly more variance than those for negative effects. Expectations for sedating effects added unique variance in the prediction of drinking when all predictors were simultaneously modeled. CONCLUSIONS: The multiple methods integrated here can be used in the development and testing of alcohol expectancy models. This integrative methodology warrants further development and validation.

Adolescent↗