Biomedical subjects

W F Wieczorek

Publications and source records attributed to W F Wieczorek.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Natural recovery in a community-based sample of alcoholics: study design and descriptive data.

The majority of alcoholics who recover do so without the benefit of treatment, yet little is known about these individuals and the factors associated with their success. A better understanding is needed of the self-initiated and maintained change processes ("natural recovery") associated with such recoveries. In the current study, initiated in 1997, we followed up alcoholics identified in four previous community surveys and conducted a brief physical examination and an in-depth interview assessing factors thought to be associated with "natural recovery" or entry into treatment. Here we present the study model, describe our sample of 83 "naturally recovered" and 138 "hazardous problem drinkers," and report factors associated with "natural recovery." During the period when their drinking was at its most problematic, those who naturally recovered had discussed their alcohol-use associated problems with fewer network members and had been advised to stop drinking or to drink less by fewer network members. In addition to older age, "natural recovery" was associated with marriage, lower levels of avoidant coping, higher self-esteem, social networks with members who drank less, and a history of less frequent drug use and lower frequencies of intoxication. Rates of "natural recovery'' may be increased by encouraging the development of these attributes in hazardous problem drinkers who do not already have them.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Alcohol and crime in China.

This study examines the pattern of alcohol involvement across violent and property crimes in China. We describe and discuss the cultural and biological differences between Chinese and Westerners concerning alcohol and the features of Chinese culture concerning violence. Drawing upon the disinhibition perspective in alcohol and crime, a specific hypothesis derived from the sociocultural context of Chinese society is that alcohol is more likely to be involved with violent crime than with property crime. Using data from a survey of inmates in China, we assess this hypothesis and the possible variables that may moderate this hypothesis. The data support the hypothesis that disinhibition is applicable to the alcohol-violence relationship in Chinese culture. However, the predicted pattern of alcohol use in violent and property crimes does not vary across different offender groups, which is inconsistent with some United States research. A tentative explanation is provided for this inconsistency.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

The influence of parental drinking and closeness on adolescent drinking.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the relationship of parental drinking and adolescent's closeness to parents to adolescent drinking behavior by focusing on three related issues: (1) the independent effects of parental drinking and closeness to parents on adolescent drinking, (2) the mediating role of closeness to parents for the effect of parental drinking, and (3) their interactive effects. METHOD: The issues were addressed with use of data from 378 respondents in a random-digit dialing sample of 625 male adolescents at age range 16 to 19 in the Buffalo area. Mother's and father's drinking and adolescent's closeness to mother and father were measured separately. Regression analyses were used to assess the effects of these measures on adolescent drinking regarding the three related issues. RESULTS: Only father's drinking has a direct effect on adolescent drinking. Although closeness to mother is a significant protection against adolescent drinking, mother's drinking has no effect on closeness to mother. In contrast, father's drinking has a significant effect on closeness to father, but closeness to father has no direct effect on adolescent drinking. Therefore, there is no mediating role of closeness to parents for the effect of parental drinking. Finally, there is an interaction between mother's drinking and closeness to mother, which indicates that adolescents whose mothers are heavy drinkers and who have low closeness to their mothers drink more heavily. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that for the mother and the father there are different patterns of the relationship between parental drinking and closeness at work in explaining adolescent drinking.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Alcohol, intelligence and violent crime in young males.

Research has demonstrated a relationship between alcohol and violent behavior, but proof of a causal connection remains elusive. A recent review concluded that the key task that remained was to identify sub-groups of the population for which alcohol promotes violence. Because alcohol might induce violence by causing cognitive disruption (e.g., misunderstood communication), less intelligent persons could be vulnerable because they start out closer to the lower limit of comprehension. Our objective is to investigate the effect of lower intelligence on the alcohol/violence relationship. This analysis uses data from the Buffalo Longitudinal Study of Young Men to investigate this hypothesis. Males, 16 to 19 years of age (N = 596), were selected from Buffalo, NY, by random digit dialing. High-risk males were oversampled. Two interviews were conducted 18 months apart, including drinking, criminal offenses, and psychological traits. Verbal intelligence was measured by the Ammons Quick Test and visual-motor intelligence by the Trail Making Test. An analysis of covariance was conducted with wave 2 average alcohol consumption and both measures of intelligence as independent variables, violent offending as the dependent variable, and race, wave 1 alcohol and wave 1 violence as covariates. Results show a positive main effect of wave 2 alcohol consumption, but also interactions with both verbal and visual-motor intelligence. These interactions indicate that the prevalence of violence increases significantly at low intelligence and high alcohol consumption levels. A parallel analysis with nonviolent offending as the dependent variable failed to find significant interactions. The combination of heavy drinking and lower intelligence is associated with a synergistic surge of violent behavior.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Peer and parental influences on male adolescent drinking.

Using data from males aged 16-19 in Buffalo, NY, the present study examines two social mechanisms by which parents and peers influence adolescent drinking--behavioral and attitudinal transmission--and compares the patterns of behavioral and attitudinal transmission for parents and for peers. The study also assesses the relative importance of parents and peers in accounting for adolescent alcohol behavior. The findings indicate that both alcohol behavior and attitudes of parents and peers are significant predictors of adolescent drinking. However, the prediction patterns are reversed. Parental attitudes are more important than parental alcohol behavior, while peer alcohol behavior is more important than peer attitudes. Overall, peers have more influence on adolescent drinking than parents. There is a significant interaction of parental alcohol-related attitudes and age, which indicates that parental alcohol-related attitudes exert a greater effect on younger (i.e., age 16-17) males' alcohol use.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

New modeling methods: geographic information systems and spatial analysis.

Geographic factors, such as the location of alcohol outlets or of neighborhoods with different socioeconomic status within an area, can influence the patterns of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in that area. Geographic information systems (GIS)--computer-based systems to capture, store, retrieve, analyze, and display spatial data--are increasingly used to investigate the effects of such geographic factors. GIS offer several key capabilities that facilitate alcohol-related geographic analyses, including geocoding (the linking of descriptive data, such as driving-while-intoxicated [DWI] events, to a location on a map), informative visual displays, and calculation of distance and adjacency. Using GIS-based data, researchers can perform complex spatial analyses of alcohol-related behaviors and problems, such as determining the correlation between DWI rates and geographic locations. These types of analyses may help investigators to understand environmental influences on alcohol-related problems and to plan and target appropriate prevention and intervention approaches.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1997

The nexus between alcohol and violent crime.

The present study examines the nexus between alcohol and violent crime by specifying alcohol as a moderating variable that may interact with other major causes of violent crime. Four major causes of violent crime at the individual level are identified: deviant motives or attitudes, aggression and hostility, impulsivity, and problem-solving ability. Analyses are conducted at two levels of aggravated assault: prevalence of assault and frequency of assault. At the level of prevalence of assault, data indicate that the usual drinking pattern does not constitute an independent cause, but has significant interactions with two of the major causes: deviant attitudes and aggression and hostility. However, in the analysis of the frequency of assault, the findings indicate a pattern that both usual drinking pattern and drinking before offending have independent explanatory power for aggravated assault, but no interactions were found. These findings suggest that alcohol may have different roles in explaining different levels of violent offending.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Assessing alcohol problems in female DWI offenders.

The severity of alcohol problems in a sample of 812 women driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders enrolled in a Drinking Driver Program in New York State was assessed through the use of multiple measures. These women voluntarily provided information through a self-administered questionnaire completed at the beginning of the program. Classification of alcohol problems based on DSM-III-R criteria was compared with classification based on the use of alcohol-specific and nonalcohol-specific measures of alcohol-related problems. Greater hostility and a larger number of drinks ever consumed accounted for nearly 12% of the variance between no diagnosis and alcohol abuse women, whereas these two variables plus age, race, depression, and having a relative with alcohol problems accounted for nearly 41% of the variance between alcohol abuse and dependent women. A subsample of women within each DSM-III-R diagnostic group showed high risk for later, more severe alcohol problems. Multiple measures of alcohol problems help to elucidate subtle differences in alcohol problems within each of the broad categories specified by the DSM, and should facilitate more appropriate intervention and treatment plans for women DWI offenders with alcohol-related problems.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1992

Preliminary typology designed for treatment matching of driving-while-intoxicated offenders.

A typology of 156 convicted driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) offenders was developed using cluster analysis and external validation procedures. The typology was derived from 4 variables (alcohol dependence severity, psychiatric severity, bad-driving index, and social instability) selected to maximize the feasibility of performing treatment matching with DWI offenders. Five clusters that suggested specific treatment matching opportunities were identified. The largest, Cluster 4 (31% of cases), showed a low problem profile. However, a moderate-severity group (Cluster 1), a high-risk driver group (Cluster 2), and two high problem-severity groups (Clusters 3 and 5) were also found. Clusters 3 and 5 had high levels of alcohol dependence and psychiatric symptoms but differed significantly on social instability.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

The limited utility of BAC for identifying alcohol-related problems among DWI offenders.

To see if blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a significant indicator of problem drinking or an alcohol-related diagnosis, the relationships between BAC at arrest for drinking and driving, typical drinking, alcohol-related problems, problem drinking and an alcohol abuse or dependence diagnosis were examined for 235 drinking and driving offenders referred for alcoholism evaluation. BAC and typical drinking correlated weakly and no significant relationship between alcohol-related problems and BAC was found. Further, no significant relationship was found between BAC and alcohol abuse or dependence diagnoses, or between problem drinking and BAC. These findings cast doubt on the usefulness of a single report of BAC for diagnostic and screening purposes.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1992

Multiple and single location drinking among DWI offenders referred for alcoholism evaluation.

Problem-drinker drivers who drank at multiple locations differ substantially from those who drank at only one location. Persons who drank at more than one location prior to their DWI arrest exhibit the most severe alcohol problems. Multilocation drinkers consumed significantly greater amounts of alcohol--for nearly all alcohol measures including consumption per drinking day, consumption averaged over 30 days, and consumption on the day of the DWI arrest--than single location drinkers. The multilocation group experienced more alcohol problems in their lives, had higher Mortimer-Filkins test scores, were intoxicated more frequently, and had a greater probability of a DSM-III-R alcohol-dependence diagnosis. Compared to the single location drinkers, the multilocation group had more bad driving incidents, frequently (once a week) drove while drunk, and expressed the attitude that the DWI had less of an impact on their lives. The findings suggest that multilocation drinkers require intensive interventions.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Psychiatric symptoms and DWI offenders.

The utility of psychiatric symptoms for identifying potential DWI recidivists was examined. Results indicated that psychiatric symptoms were more related to whether the individual would have qualified for a DSM-III-R alcohol dependent diagnosis than to offender status. A second finding of importance was the high rate of alcohol dependence found for the first-time offenders. The implications for these findings are discussed in this report.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗