Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T03:41:55.097Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Outcome of treatment for Irish alcoholic women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Eileen M Corrigan ,
Shane Butler  and
Michael J Camasso
Eileen M Corrigan
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, 536 George Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA
Shane Butler
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Michael J Camasso
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, Rutgers University, 536 George Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective: To assess the outcome of treatment, a cross section of women from seven inpatient centres treating alcoholics were interviewed twice: as they entered treatment (n=114) and one year later (n=74) when they returned to the community.

Method: The patients were interviewed as they began treatment and 65% were traced for interviews one year later. Measures of self esteem, emotional health and drinking patterns are presented over time.

Results: Approximately one half of the women were abstinent when interviewed again and improved emotional health was related to abstinence. Of those who continued to drink many reduced their intake. A logistic regression analysis was applied to the data to explain the results. Among the major findings was the ability of therapists to predict subsequent drinking with a high degree of accuracy.

Conclusions: All of the services have abstinence as their goal. This could be challenged since at follow up only half of the women are abstinent. Controlled drinking may well be a valid objective if abstinence fails or could well be a valid objective for some patients.

Keywords

WomenAlcoholicTreatment outcome.
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , June 1995 , pp. 48 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Vanicelli, M, Becker, B. Treatment outcome of alcoholic women: the state of the art in relation to the sex bias and expectancy effects. In: Wilsnack, SC, Beckman, LJ, editors. Alcohol problems in women. New York: Guilford, 1984.Google Scholar
2.Emrick, CD. A review of psychologically oriented treatment of alcoholism. II. The relative effectiveness of different treatment approaches and the effectiveness of treatment versus no treatment. J Stud Alcohol 1975; 36: 88–108.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Annis, HM, Liban, CB. Alcoholism in women: treatment modalities and outcomes. In: Kalant, OJ. Alcohol and drug problems in women. New York: Plenum Press, 1980.Google Scholar
4.Corrigan, EM. Alcholic women in treatment. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980.Google Scholar
5.O'Connor, A. Female alcoholism in Ireland: a follow up study. Ir J Psychiatry; 1987: 13–6.Google Scholar
6.Corrigan, EM, Butler, S. Irish alcoholic women in treatment: early findings. Int J Addict 1991; 26 (3): 281–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Rosenberg, M. Society and the adolescent self image. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Langner, T. A 22 item screening score for psychiatric symptoms indicating judgment. Journal of Health and Human Behaviour 1962; 3: 269–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Beckman, LJ. Self esteem of women alcoholics. J Stud Alcohol 1978; 39: 491–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Turner, SG. Alcoholic women's self esteem. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 1995; 12(4): 109–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Bailey, MB. Psychophysiological impairment in wives of alcoholics as related to husband's drinking and sobriety. In: Fox, R, Ed. Alcoholism-behavioral research — therapeutic approaches. Springer: New York, 1967.Google Scholar
12.Wheaton, B. Uses and abuses of the Langner Index: a re-examination of listings on psychological and psychophysiological distress. Unpublished Paper: Yale University, 1979.Google Scholar
13.Cahalan, D, Cisin, I, Crossley, H. American drinking practices. Rutgers Centre of Alcohol Studies. Monograph No 6: New Brunswick, NJ, 1969.Google Scholar
14.Harris, TR, Wilsnack, RW, Klassen, AD. Reliability of retrospective self-reports of alcohol consumptions among women; data from a US national sample. J Stud Alchol 1994; 55: 309–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Barnea, AZ, Rahav, G, Teichman, M. The reliability and consistency of self-reports on substance use in a longitudinal study. Br J Addict 1987; 82: 891–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Brown, J, Kranzler, HR, Del Boca, FK. Self reports by alcohol and drug abuse inpatients: factors affecting reliability and validity. British Journal of Addictions 1992; 87: 1013–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Wolber, G, Carne, WF, Alexander, R. The validity of self-reported abstinence and quality sobriety following chemical dependency treatment. Int J Addict 1990; 25(5): 495–513.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Fuller, RK. Can treatment outcome research rely on alcoholics' self-reports? Alcohol Health & Research World 1988: 12(3); 181–6.Google Scholar
19.Agresti, A. Categorical data analysis. New York: John Wiley, 1990.Google Scholar
20.Demaris, A. Logit modeling: practice applications. Newbury Park: CA, Sage, 1992.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Bournazian, R. Prediction and outcome for alcoholic women in treatment. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Rutgers State University, NJ, 1987.Google Scholar
22.Edwards, G, Orford, J, Egert, S, et al.Alcoholism: a controlled trial of ‘treatment and advice’. J Stud Alcohol 1977; 38: 1004–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Miller, WR, Hester, RK. The effectiveness of alcoholism treatment — what research reveals. In: Miller, WR, Heather, N, editors. Treating addictive behaviors. New York: Plenum, 1986; 121–74CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Activities of Irish psychiatric hospitals and units, 1984 and 1987. Dublin: Health Research Board, 1987 and 1989.Google Scholar
25.Green Paper on Mental Health. Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992.Google Scholar
26.Booth, PG. Maintained controlled drinking following severe alcohol dependence — a case study. Br J Addict 1990; 85: 315–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed