Mentally ill chemical abusers (MICAs) are characterized by poorer adaptive functioning, and less consistent involvement in treatment and social services when compared to single-diagnosis disorders. The proposed research will extend current knowledge about the psychosocial adjustment of MICA patients by using (1) a multivariate approach; (2) standardized measures of known reliability and validity; and (3) a prospective, longitudinal design. One hundred and twenty male and female psychiatric patients will serve as subjects. Four groups (n = 30) will be created by crossing psychiatric diagnosis (schizophrenia, mood disorder) and substance abuse (present, absent). Cross-sectional comparisons can be made on variables such as substance use history and current patterns, psychiatric symptom levels, social adjustment, coping skills, and neuropsychological capacity. A follow-up assessment will be conducted six months later, during which measures of treatment utilization and of psychiatric and substance abuse status will be obtained. Thus, baseline variables can be used to predict subsequent psychosocial adjustment.
The specific aims of the proposed research are: (1) to describe the four subject groups in terms of psychiatric presentation, substance use, and social functioning; (2) to characterize the nature and extent of neuropsychological impairment in MICA patients, and to determine the relationship between neuropsychological impairment and coping skills; (3)to evaluate the clinical course of comorbid mental illness and sub- stance abuse; and (4) to identify the variables associated with short-term psychosocial adjustment in MICA patients. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to enhance our understanding of MICA patients so that we can design new treatments, and modify existing protocols, to meet the unique and complex needs of this prevalent patient population.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
First Independent Research Support & Transition (FIRST) Awards (R29)
Project #
5R29DA007635-02
Application #
3461338
Study Section
Treatment Development and Assessment Research Review Committee (TDA)
Project Start
1991-06-01
Project End
1996-05-31
Budget Start
1992-06-01
Budget End
1993-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Syracuse University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Syracuse
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
13210
Simons, J; Correia, C J; Carey, K B (2000) A comparison of motives for marijuana and alcohol use among experienced users. Addict Behav 25:153-60
Simons, J; Carey, K B (2000) Attitudes toward marijuana use and drug-free experience: relationships with behavior. Addict Behav 25:323-31
Teitelbaum, L M; Carey, K B (2000) Temporal stability of alcohol screening measures in a psychiatric setting. Psychol Addict Behav 14:401-4
Carey, K B; Simons, J (2000) Utility of collateral information in assessing substance use among psychiatric outpatients. J Subst Abuse 11:139-47
Forsyth, A D; Carey, M P (1998) Measuring self-efficacy in the context of HIV risk reduction: research challenges and recommendations. Health Psychol 17:559-68
Bradizza, C M; Stasiewicz, P R; Carey, K B (1998) High-risk alcohol and drug use situations among seriously mentally ill inpatients: a preliminary investigation. Addict Behav 23:555-60
Correia, C J; Simons, J; Carey, K B et al. (1998) Predicting drug use: application of behavioral theories of choice. Addict Behav 23:705-9
Carey, K B; Correia, C J (1997) Drinking motives predict alcohol-related problems in college students. J Stud Alcohol 58:100-5
Carey, K B (1997) Challenges in assessing substance use patterns in persons with comorbid mental and addictive disorders. NIDA Res Monogr 172:16-32
Carey, K B; Cocco, K M; Simons, J S (1996) Concurrent validity of clinicians' ratings of substance abuse among psychiatric outpatients. Psychiatr Serv 47:842-7

Showing the most recent 10 out of 17 publications