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Biomedical subjects

R M Costello

Publications and source records attributed to R M Costello.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

A replicated five cluster MMPI typology of morbidly obese female candidates for gastric bypass.

This study clusters empirically into subgroups the preoperative MMPI profiles of morbidly obese females seeking a gastric bypass, assesses the replicability of clusters across different subject populations and tests the hypotheses that cluster inclusion bears a significant relationship to weight loss and post-operative follow-up behavior. One hundred seventy women participated: 85 were patients at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas (UTHSCSA), and 85 were from the Cherryhill Medical Surgical Center (CMSC), Albion, Michigan. A hierarchical cluster analytic technique was applied using the cosine measure and average linkage within groups method. Purification of the two samples resulted in seven groups with 59 cases in the UTHSCSA sample and six groups with 62 cases in the CMSC sample. Five groups containing 94 subjects (55 percent) replicated across the two samples (UTHSCSA = 44; CMSC = 50). Discriminant analysis yielded four statistically significant functions. The chi 2 test was employed to discern significant differences based on group inclusion. Demographic differences between the two geographic samples are discussed. One year follow-up studies found that personality type bears a significant relationship to indexed weight loss, follow-up appointment frequency, and follow-up duration for the San Antonio sample.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Sociodemographic and clinical correlates of P-A-I-N.

Rules to clarify MMPI profiles into four types (P-A-I-N) observed commonly in chronic pain patient populations were tested to determine if resulting average profiles matched computer-algorithm derived prototypes. Close matches were obtained, suggesting that the rules could be used in the ordinary pain clinic setting to look for type x treatment interactions. Seven clinical variables differentiated the types. Type P and N were most different from one another, and Types A and I represented poles on an optimism-pessimism dimension.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Achievement in an alternative high school for emotionally/behaviorally disturbed students.

Some 1,300 alternative high schools have been established in the United States for dealing with the special education needs of emotionally and behaviorally disturbed youth. The present study investigated cognitive, academic, and psychosocial variables associated with success in an alternative high school for such youth. Results indicated that psychosocial variables (Family Pathology, Duration of Disturbance, and Age of Admission) were associated with success, whereas cognitive and academic variables were not. These results are interpreted in light of their implications for assessment and placement decisions, management by mental health and school professionals, and curriculum modifications necessary for success.

Achievement↗
PubMed1986

Psychoactive substance use among medical students.

A survey of 133 senior medical students revealed that noteworthy proportions had used the following psychoactive substances during their lifetime: cigarettes, 44%; alcohol, 96%; marijuana, 57%; amphetamines, 22%; cocaine, 20%; sedatives, 17%; benzodiazepines, 37%; hallucinogens, 15%; and opioids, 40%. Smaller percentages reported use of these substances during the last year and the last month. Lifetime use did not vary significantly by sex, ethnic status, or marital status. Twelve percent reported nearly daily use of one or more substances during the last month; a different but overlapping 11% reported substance abuse symptoms during the last year. Use of illicit substances and substance abuse symptoms were associated with depressed mood.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Impression management and testing for control locus in an alcoholic sample.

In response to a debate as to whether alcoholics as a group score in an internal or an external direction on Rotter's I-E Scale, a projective, TAT measure of locus of control was proposed. In this pilot study a multivariate storytelling measure was used to test the hypothesis that alcoholics may resort to "impression management" when responding to questionnaires and that a "projective" device may yield different results regarding personality variables like locus of control. An internal score on the I-E was observed for 30 alcoholic subjects to shift to an external score on the Thematic Locus of Control (TLC). Spearman's rho for I-E and TLC was .47 (p less than .001). Six subjects had markedly incongruent ranks across instruments; three of these were extreme I-E "internals" who shifted to extreme TLC "externals."

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Return for service analysis over 4 years for 100 alcoholics.

This project attempted to predict return for aftercare-type services following discharge from an intermediate care facility for 100 alcoholics. The predictive set included 28 scales from a psychological questionnaire, factor analyzed into 10 second-order dimensions. The degree of autocorrelation of treatment statuses (present vs absent) over a 4-year follow-up period preceded the attempt to generate a predictive equation. Results are discussed with regard to program management, alcoholic personality studies, service models, and cost of care.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1980

Therapeutic community treatment for alcohol abusers: a one-year multivariate outcome evaluation.

This article describes the development of an alcohol treatment unit in a Veterans Hospital. The focus is on therapeutic philosophy, staffing patterns, and a critical evaluation and examination of issues related to program evaluation. About March of 1975 the administrative staff of the Audie Murphy Veterans Administration Hospital began tooling up for a new psychiatric unit to deal exclusively with the problem of alcohol abuse. The unit was officially opened in June of 1975. This article provides a short descriptive overview of the development of the program, with a focus on its staffing pattern and the operationalization of its treatment philosophy. It presents an evaluation of the program, describing the methodology of evaluation preferred for this type of operation as developed from previous experience of the senior author.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Formative program evaluation and milieu therapy with alcohol abusers.

Evaluated presumably therapeutic components within a therapeutic community in terms of perceived helpfulness by patients and staff of an alcohol treatment unit. Eighteen male patients and 18 staff members participated. A nonparametric statistic was used as an index of treatment philosophy articulation or degree of value-sharing. A core of activities valued congruently by patients and staff was identified.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Second-year alcoholism treatment outcome evaluation with a focus on Mexican-American patients.

This is an evaluation of an Alcohol Treatment Unit with a focus on a comparison of Mexican-American and Anglo-American outcomes. Social adjustment on a target cohort of 75 was measured on a standard rating instrument (SAI) 2 years after discharge from the hospital. The overall successfulness of the program was 39%; the validity of the Treatment Difficulty Scale (a composite index of anticipated treatment difficulty) was demonstrated for both ethnic groups and both first and second year outcome results; and the average stability of first year findings of SAI components as compared to second year results was shown to be 79%. Use of a standardized index of pretreatment patient characteristics was recommended to facilitate comparative program evaluation research.

Adult↗