The goal of this study is to survey a medical school cohort at entrance into medical school and at two subsequent points during medical training, illuminating the psycho-social influences on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in male and female future physicians. The study seeks to contrast the shifts in drinking behavior and alcohol-related problems over time in these men and women, with a primary goal of differentiating between earlier childhood attachment experiences, personality characteristics, and the characteristics of the professional training environment (e.g., stressors and types and degrees of social supports) in terms of their relative etiologic influence on male and female future physician drinking. A major hypothesis is that the stressors associated with medical training and the limitations in social supports will have a more powerful effect on female compared to male alcohol consumption. The data will be collected by means of self-report questionnaires encompassing: quantity, frequency and variability in the consumption of beer, wine and distilled spirits; alcohol-related problems; reasons for drinking; drug use patterns; perceived earlier parent-child relationships and disrupted relationships; personality characteristics (internal-external locus of control, self-esteem, and interpersonal dependency), recent social stressors and social supports. In addition, a sub-sample screened by the MAST will be interviewed, using a diagnostic assessment. A variety of multivariate statistical techniques will be used in the data analysis. The longer term objective is to retain a """"""""research relationship"""""""" with this medical student cohort in order to ultimately assess its drinking behavior (and related problems) several years later in the early stages of medical practice.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
First Independent Research Support & Transition (FIRST) Awards (R29)
Project #
1R29AA007311-01
Application #
3452656
Study Section
Alcohol Psychosocial Research Review Committee (ALCP)
Project Start
1987-08-01
Project End
1990-07-31
Budget Start
1987-08-01
Budget End
1988-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Illinois at Chicago
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
121911077
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60612
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Richman, J A; Flaherty, J A; Rospenda, K M et al. (1992) Mental health consequences and correlates of reported medical student abuse. JAMA 267:692-4
Richman, J A (1992) Occupational stress, psychological vulnerability and alcohol-related problems over time in future physicians. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 16:166-71
Richman, J A; Rospenda, K M (1992) Gender roles and alcohol abuse. Costs of noncaring for future physicians. J Nerv Ment Dis 180:619-26
Richman, J A; Flaherty, J A; Pyskoty, C (1992) Shifts in problem drinking during a life transition: adaptation to medical school training. J Stud Alcohol 53:17-24
Richman, J A; Pyskoty, C E (1991) Interpersonal versus technological orientations and alcohol abuse in future physicians. Br J Addict 86:1133-8
Pyskoty, C E; Richman, J A; Flaherty, J A (1990) Psychosocial assets and mental health of minority medical students. Acad Med 65:581-5
Richman, J A; Flaherty, J A (1990) Gender differences in medical student distress: contributions of prior socialization and current role-related stress. Soc Sci Med 30:777-87
Richman, J A; Flaherty, J A (1990) Alcohol-related problems of future physicians prior to medical training. J Stud Alcohol 51:296-300