This is an R21 application for innovative/developmental research by an experienced alcoholism investigator. The study of psychological characteristics of patients that are predictive of response to alcoholism treatment has to a large extent focused on negative characteristics such as depression, anxiety, antisocial personality, or hostility, i.e., psychological illness. Although a growing literature has shown that various dimensions of psychological wellness of individuals and patients are associated with positive health outcomes in general, there has been only limited investigation of whether such characteristics are predictive also of response to treatment. The proposed research is designed, first, to determine the underlying dimensionality of a number of measures of psychological wellness such as optimism, personal meaning, perceived wellness, spirituality, or vitality and once this is accomplished to determine whether such positive psychological characteristics are predictive of a more positive response to treatment in alcohol dependent patients. Further, the research inquires whether the contribution of dimensions of psychological wellness to prediction of treatment outcomes is independent of prediction by psychological and physical illness. The extent to which changes in psychological wellness over time is predictive of longer term alcohol and substance use, receipt of additional alcoholism and substance abuse treatments, and physical and mental status will also be determined.
| Alterman, Arthur I; Cacciola, John S; Dugosh, Karen L et al. (2010) Measurement of mental health in substance use disorder outpatients. J Subst Abuse Treat 39:408-14 |
