Academic literature on the topic 'Alcohol – Psychological aspects'

Whereas many studies of adult children of alcoholics (COAs) have utilized clinical subjects, subjects in this study (n = 229) were relatively well functioning college students. The Children ofAlcoholics Screening Test (CAST; Jones, 1983) was utilized to define parental alcoholism.Results of a multivariate analysis of variance indicated that COAs were more likely to exhibit symptoms related to poor psychological adjustment than were their non-COA peers. No significant psychological differences in male and female COAs were found. COAs scored significantly higher than non-COAs (p.< .01) on the Alienation scale of the Psychological Screening Inventory (PSI; Lanyon, 1978), indicating the greater similarity of COAs to those with psychiatric problems. Social Nonconformity, as a measure of psychopathic behavior, was higher for COAs than for non-COAs (p. < .001). COAs from lower income families demonstrated higher scores on the Discomfort scale (p < .01), which measures symptoms. Those subjects who reported parental greater symptomatology and anxiety than those who reported no parental depression (p. ( .001). Although parental divorce rates were higher for COAs (32.4%) as compared to non-COAs (10.9%), no significant association with any of the psychological variables was found for parental divorce.In comparison to non-COAs, both male and female COAs evidenced greater problem alcohol use (p < .001) measured by the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST; Selzer, 1971). As demonstrated by a MAST score of 7 or more, 88.8% of male COAs and 30.5% of female COAs indicated serious alcohol-related problems. Parental depression was also significantly related to problem alcohol use in subjects. It was found that the MacAndrew scale (MAC; MacAndrew, 1965) was of little utility for identifying subjects with problem alcohol use.<br>Department of Educational Psychology

The mechanisms which account for the diminished responsiveness (tolerance) of an individual to a drug, as a result of prior exposure to that drug, are not yet fully understood. Recently, it has been suggested that drug tolerance is a learned adaptive response. This possibility was examined by studying the effect of ethanol on body temperature and behavioral thermoregulatory responses of Sprague-Dawley rats. Two major studies were conducted. The first study examined the initial dose-related effects of ethanol (1, 2, or 3 g/kg i.p.); the second study examined the effect of ethanol (2.5 g/kg i.p.) administered on 14 consecutive days. Rats were tested in a thermocline, a hollo plexiglass tube in which a linear temperature gradient (6-36°C) was established through local heating and cooling of opposite ends of the tube. The position of rats in the thermocline was detected by a series of infrared light emitting diodes and photocells. The body temperature of rats in the thermocline was transmitted by a temperature sensitive telemetry capsule surgically placed in the peritoneal cavity. Validation studies demonstrated that rats reliably responded to temperature cues within the thermocline. In the first experiment ethanol produced a dose-related decrease in body temperature. All rats following injection initially selected an ambient temperature cooler than baseline. Rats receiving control treatment or the high dose of ethanol eventually shifted to a warmer ambient temperature. Activity levels were depressed equally by all three doses of ethanol. In the second experiment tolerance developed to the hypothermic effect of ethanol. A diminished response to ethanol was evident by the second test day and was maximal by day 7. Ethanol treated rats selected a cooler ambient temperature than control rats throughout the 14 day period, and activity levels continued to be depressed by ethanol throughout the 14 days. On the fifteenth day all rats were given an injection of saline. Rats which had previously received daily ethanol injections exhibited a hyperthermic response to saline compared to control rats. These results suggest that ethanol altered the central control of thermoregulation by lowering and possibly broadening the thermoregulatory set point. There was evidence for a conditioned hyperthermic response, but not a learned behavioral response, which contributed to the tolerance development.

A wealth of data supports the hypothesis that the neurotransmitter serotonin regulates the intake of ethanol, and is involved in the development of alcoholism in humans. Reduced functioning of the serotonergic system hypothetically increases alcohol intake in both animals and humans. In this thesis, it was proposed that the effect of lowered serotonergic function on alcohol intake is mediated by an increase in disinhibition. The hypothesis that lowered serotonin increases disinhibition was tested in separate groups of individuals at high risk for the development of psychopathology: nonalcoholic young men with a strong family history of paternal alcoholism, and adolescent men with previous histories of physically aggressive behavior. Lowered serotonergic synthesis (and thus presumably function) was experimentally induced through a transient dietary reduction in the availability of the amino add precursor of serotonin, tryptophan. Disinhibition was quantified using a go/no-go task previously shown to characterize psychopaths and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as disinhibited. In the first study, acute tryptophan depletion had no effect on aggressive responding on a modified competitive reaction time aggression task, but increased disinhibition in young men at risk for alcoholism. This effect was independent of the tryptophan depletion-induced mood alterations. The effect tryptophan depletion on disinhibition was not replicated in the second study with previously aggressive adolescent men. A number of explanations for this were posited, including the presence of a ceiling effect. An association between disinhibition and executive functioning (cognitive abilities associated with proper functioning of the prefrontal cortex, such as working memory, planning abilities) was demonstrated in the second study. In a third preliminary study, no association between disinhibition on the go/no-go task and allelic polymorphisms of the dopamine D4 receptor

Much empirical evidence attests to a strong relationship between the panic-related disorders and alcoholism. Recent data suggest that anxiety sensitivity (fear of anxiety) may be one common underlying vailable contributing to the large degree of overlap between the panic-related disorders and alcoholism. In fact, some data indicate that the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and alcohol misuse may be particularly strong in women, a group which is generally underrepresented in the alcoholism etiology literature. Research described in this thesis was conducted with the aim of further elucidating the nature of the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and alcohol use/abuse in young adult women. The series of seven experiments included in this thesis demonstrated that: (1) high levels of anxiety sensitivity are characteristic of subjects meeting diagnostic criteria for panic disorder, an anxiety disorder frequently associated with alcohol abuse; (2) female university students demonstrate significantly higher average levels of anxiety sensitivity than male university students; (3) anxiety sensitivity is an important predictor of self-reported rates of alcohol consumption in university women; (4) high anxiety sensitive university students are both more likely to report drinking alcohol primarily to "cope" with negative emotional states, and less likely to report drinking alcohol primarily for social-affiliative motives, than are low anxiety sensitive university students; (5) high anxiety sensitive women display greater degrees of sober subjective-emotional arousal when anticipating aversive stimulation, greater degrees of sober electrodermal reactivity to the aversive stimulation, and greater sensitivity to the dampening effects of alcohol on these measures of reactivity, than low anxiety sensitive controls; (6) high anxiety sensitive women show a sober attentional bias favoring the processing of physically threatening information, which is dampened through th

The influence of a primarily Public form of self-awareness and of Private and Public Self-Consciousness on drunken physical aggression and complex reaction-time were examined. Two forms of the balanced-placebo design were employed. Results indicated that each form of self-focus played a significant role in the determination of various aspects of drunken comportment. Consumption of alcohol did not eliminate self-aware behavior on the measures employed. Public Self-Consciousness acted to increase drunken impairment. A modified form of the balanced-placebo design proved superior to the standard version for use with moderately high doses (1.32 ml/kg) of alcohol on a measure of subjective intoxication. The implications for the literature on self-focus and drunken comportment are discussed.

Alcohol use disorders are common and make a significant contribution to the burden of disease throughout the world. This is especially true among the younger age groups. Although these disorders are common, evidence suggests that those affected do not seek help for their disorders. In order to understand this, reviews of the treatment literature and the epidemiological data on prevalence and correlates of alcohol use disorders and treatment seeking are presented. These reviews confirm that effective treatments exist and that screening in primary care can be efficacious. The reviews also highlight deficits such as the need for more epidemiological evidence on the validity of DSM definitions of alcohol use disorders and for more Australian data on the prevalence and correlates of the disorders and related treatment seeking. This thesis sets out to address these deficits applying sophisticated statistical techniques to data from a large nationally representative Australian sample. A confirmatory factor analysis of the eleven criteria that specify alcohol dependence and abuse examined the validity of DSM-IV definitions of alcohol use disorders and the best solution was found to be a single factor, not two as currently defined. These findings question the bi-axial nature of alcohol use disorders that has underpinned their definition since the publication of DSM-III-R in 1987. Data from this national sample also confirm that, in line with research from other western countries, Australians have high levels of alcohol use disorders, especially amongst males and younger people. Also no association was found between alcohol dependence and treatment seeking, and young people were least likely to seek treatment. However, a relatively large proportion of young people who drink had been in contact with their GPs in the past year; demonstrating that there is ample opportunity for screening and referral for treatment for alcohol use disorders in this vulnerable group. This research has found that although alcohol disorders are not necessarily associated with disability, there are those who can benefit from treatment. It suggests that outcomes for such individuals may be improved by better specification of disorders as well as improved access to best treatments.

Researchers have argued that in times of need having supportive, caring people available can make all the difference between achieving optimum health and well-being or suffering from mental or physical illness (Cobb, 1976; Sarason & Sarason, 1985; Thoits, 1986). The direct-effect model of support postulates that having the knowledge of available relationship resources (i.e., perceived support) and receiving benefits from those relationships (i.e., received support) both have beneficial effects on health behaviors and well-being (Cohen & Wills, 1985). According to the stress-buffering model, when stressors are encountered, the certainty of having available resources, as well as having tangible support resources, is hypothesized to lessen the negative effects of stressors (Cohen, et al., 2000; Cohen &Wills, 1985, Cutrona, 1986; Thoits, 1986). Most of the research that has examined social support effects on drinking-related outcomes has focused on the association between support and alcohol problems, particularly among high risk populations (those who are alcohol dependent, alcohol abusers, or adolescents). Yet, it could be argued that when examining drinking levels, not all consumption is harmful. Of particular concern is drinking that is motivated to reduce negative or stressful experiences. Individuals who use drinking as a method of avoidant coping, or reducing tension drink significantly more alcohol and be at a greater risk for developing later drinking problems (Cooper, Russell, & George, 1988). Research employing daily process methodology has been able to resolve documented methodological inconsistencies (e.g., Greeley & Oei, 1999) by examining the within-person processes between negative experiences and alcohol consumption (Tennen & Affleck, 1996; Tennen, Affleck, Armeli, & Carney, 2000; Mohr et al., 2008). Similarly, these methodologies have been useful to social support researchers in helping to understand social support as a within-person process rather than just an interpersonal event between two individuals. This research was part of a larger study about the influence of alcohol use on daily emotion regulation among 47 moderate-to-heavy drinking adults in the local metropolitan area. Participants carried a personal data assistant (handheld interviewer) for 30 days, responding to surveys three times each day (late afternoon, evening). Each survey probed supportive and negative interpersonal exchanges and drinking behaviors. Prior to the daily diary portion of the study, participants completed the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, a measure of perceived social support. For purposes of analyses, I examined the extent to which exchanges occurring in an earlier interview predicted subsequent solitary drinking at home using data from 2 of the three interviews (predicting evening and late evening drinking only). My analyses revealed that daily socially supportive exchanges had a significant direct effect on subsequent drinking at home alone. Interestingly, the daily supportive exchanges did not buffer the negative exchanges-later drinking relationship. However, my findings revealed that negative exchanges also resulted in a reduction in subsequent consumption, which contrasts previous studies that used similar methodologies but with heavier drinkers (e.g., Mohr et al., 2001). Further, perceived support was not related to solitary consumption. The results of this study indicate that in healthy adults, positively appraised received support directly reduces solitary consumption. This is an important finding given that received support is difficult to document. At the same time, my results showed that among these types of drinkers, negative exchanges may have a stronger direct effect than positive exchanges on solitary consumption. In non-clinical samples, such as this the relationship between social support and drinking is not straightforward. Thus, using a sophisticated methodology (i.e., daily process methods), this study was able to examine the relationship of drinking and social support on a daily basis; thus, further bridging the gap between social support and the drinking literature.

Assignment (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the South African context, research on the impact of alcohol rehabilitation is particularly limited. This study aimed at describing the impact of the alcohol rehabilitation programme offered at Neuro Clinic D, Stikland Hospital. Outcome was assessed at 12-15 months with the objective of exploring the perceptions and experiences of the ex-patients to ascertain whether there has been an improvement in psychological well-being and positive lifestyle changes. The study was motivated by a request made by the staff at Neuro Clinic D; as such an investigation has never been conducted. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used to gather data from 44 out of the 166 ex-patients admitted to Neuro Clinic D between January and June 2002. The relationships between the rate of relapse and age, gender, marital status, employment status, previous rehabilitation, health problems, police contact, aftercare attendance, participation in the 3- or 4- week programme and other medication/substance abuse were explored. While no statistically significant relationships were found between any of the variables, some evidence of interaction emerged with regards to the relationships between relapse status and participation in the 3- or 4-week programme, aftercare attendance, employment and marital status. The qualitative analysis revealed four central themes, namely coping mechanisms; responses to specific components of the programme; confounding factors and the impact of the programme. An integration of the quantitative and qualitative data supports the conclusion that while there was a low rate of consistent abstinence, the respondents reported an overall post-treatment improvement in psychological well-being and positive lifestyle changes.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Navorsing op die impak van alcohol rehabilitasie is besonder beperk in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Hierdie studie het ten doelom die impak van die alcohol rehabilitasie program, gebied deur Neuro Kliniek D, Stikland Hospitaal, te beskryf. Die uitkoms is bepaal na 12-15 maande deur die persepsies en envaringe van eks-pasiente te ondersoek om sodoende vas te stelof daar verbetering was in sielkundige welstand en of positiewe leefstyle veranderinge aangegaan is. Die betrokke studie is gemotiveer deur 'n versoek gerig deur die personeel van Neuro Kliniek D, aangesien so 'n ondersoek nog nooit vantevore gedoen is nie. Beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe metodologieë is gebruik om data in te samel van 44 die 166 eks-pasiente toegelaat tot Neuro Kliniek D tussen Januarie en Junie 2002. Die korrelasie/verhouding tussen die terugvalkoers en ouderdom, geslag, huwelikstatus, werkstatus, vonge rehabilitasie, gesondheidsprobleme, polisie kontak, nasorg bywoning, deelname in die 3- of 4-week program en ander medikasie/substans misbruik is ondersoek. Terwyl geen statisties beduidende verhoudinge gevind is tussen enige van die veranderlikes nie, is daar wel aanduidings van interaksie met betrekking tot die verhouding tussen terugvalstatus en deelname aan die 3- of 4- week program, nasorg bywoning, werkstatus en huwelikstatus. Die kwalitatiewe analise het 4 sentrale temas onthul, naamlik, hanteringsmeganismes; response tot spesifieke komponente van die program; verydelende faktore en die impak van die program. 'n Integrasie van die kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe data steun die gevolgtrekking dat alhoewel daar 'n lae voorkoms was van volgehoue onthouding, die respondente wel 'n algemene verbetering in sielkundige welstand en postiewe leefstyle veranderinge na behandeling gerapporteer het.