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Biomedical subjects

N Heather

Publications and source records attributed to N Heather.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Effectiveness of a controlled drinking self-help manual: one-year follow-up results.

Following the description of six-month follow-up results by Heather et al. (1986), this article reports one-year follow-up for a cohort of media-recruited problem drinkers sent either a controlled drinking self-help manual or a general advice and information booklet. Among those remaining in the sample, mean reduction in drinking at six months had been retained at the one-year point. This stability of reduced consumption included respondents showing evidence of late dependence or high consumption at initial assessment. When respondents who had received other forms of treatment had been excluded, the results confirmed the superior effectiveness of the self-help manual in enabling problem drinkers to reduce consumption. Evidence for a superior outcome among respondents interviewed by telephone, rather than contacted solely by post, was again observed. Some limited evidence is presented as to the reliability and validity of self-reports of consumption in the main sample.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1987

Public attitudes to the disease concept of alcoholism.

Proponents of the disease concept of alcoholism have argued that its dissemination among the general public will promote humanitarian attitudes toward alcoholics. This claim was subjected to empirical scrutiny. A quota sample of 200 members of the general public completed a questionnaire designed to measure beliefs about alcoholism and attitudes toward alcoholics. As predicted, the majority of respondents endorsed a disease formulation. However, examination of the data using correlational and factor analytic techniques indicated that two humanitarian views--expressing sympathetic attitudes toward alcoholics and regarding them as deserving of public funds--were largely independent of endorsing a disease view.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Evaluation of a controlled drinking minimal intervention for problem drinkers in general practice (the DRAMS scheme).

Sixteen general practitioners participated in a controlled trial of the Scottish Health Education Group's DRAMS (drinking reasonably and moderately with self-control) scheme. The scheme was evaluated by randomly assigning 104 heavy or problem drinkers to three groups - a group participating in the DRAMS scheme (n = 34), a group given simple advice only (n = 32) and a non-intervention control group (n = 38). Six month follow-up information was obtained for 91 subjects (87.5% of initial sample). There were no significant differences between the groups in reduction in alcohol consumption, but patients in the DRAMS group showed a significantly greater reduction in a logarithmic measure of serum gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase than patients in the group receiving advice only. Only 14 patients in the DRAMS group completed the full DRAMS procedure. For the sample as a whole, there was a significant reduction in alcohol consumption, a significant improvement on a measure of physical health and well-being, and significant reductions in the logarithmic measure of serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and in mean corpuscular volume. The implications of these findings for future research into controlled drinking minimal interventions in general practice are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Alcohol education courses for offenders: a survey of British agencies.

Twenty British agencies completed a questionnaire which requested information about Alcohol Education Courses for young offenders. Descriptive statistics were collected about differences between AECs with respect to clients, courses and evaluation. The paper shows that no controlled evaluations of the effectiveness of AECs have yet been completed. A further paper is planned to report such data.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Controlled smoking: single case study with multicomponent intervention.

The case study of controlled smoking treatment reported here includes multicomponent behavioral interventions. Follow-up data of 30 months' duration are examined with particular reference to shifts in topographical aspects of smoking and a focus on other health-related behaviors. Cigarette smoking was reduced by 85% without compensatory shifts in topography and with successful long-term maintenance. The need to specify detailed ingredients of multicomponent smoking packages for individual clients is discussed, paying particular attention to the potential for development of "positive addictions".

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Evaluation of a self-help manual for media-recruited problem drinkers: six-month follow-up results.

A total of 785 individuals responded to a newspaper advertisement offering free help to cut down drinking and were sent alternately either a self-help manual based on behavioural principles or a general information and advice booklet. Of these, 247 (31.3 per cent) returned assessment questionnaires or agreed to be interviewed by telephone and 132 of these respondents (53.4 per cent) were successfully contacted at six-month follow-up. Those lost to follow-up were more 'socially stable' on initial measures than those successfully contacted. Results showed a greater reduction in previous week's consumption in the group receiving the manual than in the control group. In addition, respondents interviewed by telephone showed a greater reduction on a measure of alcohol-related problems and a higher proportion reducing drinking than those contacted only by post. There was no evidence that reductions in consumption were confined to relatively low consumers or to those showing only early signs of dependence on alcohol, irrespective of which type of material was received.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

A comparison of minimal versus intensive controlled drinking treatment interventions for problem drinkers.

Thirty-seven problem drinkers with problems of low to moderate severity were randomly allocated to two groups, one receiving 'minimal' treatment of three or four sessions' assessment and advice, and the other 'intensive' treatment of one or more of a selection of individually tailored, cognitive-behavioural therapies lasting an average of 9.1 sessions. The two groups were followed up an average of 15.5 months after termination of treatment. Analysis of covariance revealed that the intensive group reduced consumption significantly more than the minimal group. Also, the intensive group showed a significantly greater increase in the number of days abstinent in the month prior to follow-up. Analysis of covariance also showed that, in spite of their small numbers (n = 7), women increased their days abstinent by a significantly greater amount and reported a significantly greater reduction in number of days drinking between 10 and 20 units. Overall, successful outcome was associated with higher pre-treatment employment and higher alcohol consumption although, given the large numbers of measures, these findings could have occurred by chance.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Effects of unemployment on drinking behavior: a review of the relevant evidence.

Although it is often asserted that drinking and drinking problems are likely to increase as a consequence of unemployment, there is little evidence at present to support such a view. However, reasons why such a relationship might be expected may be derived from the literature on the social, psychological, and health effects of unemployment and also from the relationship between drinking behavior and occupation. It is argued that any competent investigation must consider the stages of unemployment and a number of psychological and demographic variables which may moderate the effects of unemployment on drinking. Finally, two specific hypotheses are identified and requirements for future research suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Fraud in science.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1983

A comparison of objective and subjective measures of alcohol dependence as predictors of relapse following treatment.

Shortly before discharge, 50 alcoholic inpatients completed an 'objective' measure of alcohol dependence, the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, and a 'subjective' measure, taken largely from questions previously used by Schaefer (1971). At six-month follow-up, there was a significant difference in the subjective measure between patients who had maintained harm-free drinking and those who had returned to some form of harmful drinking, but no significant relationship was observed for the SADQ. It is concluded that relapse following treatment is better predicted by the subjective measure than by the objective measure of dependence and the implications of this for theories of relapse are noted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

The application of Bandura's self-efficacy theory to abstinence-oriented alcoholism treatment.

This paper explores the relevance of self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977b) to the process of abstinence treatment and the phenomenon of relapse. By distinguishing between the particular efficacy and outcome expectations created in treatment it is possible to clarify some of the problems encountered between clinicians and alcoholics. Bandura's theory also explains why some treatment methods might be more effective than others. Analysis of relapse suggests that while some of the expectations created in treatment might serve to promote abstinence, others might unwittingly precipitate relapse. The understanding of abstinence treatment could be enhanced by the testing of hypotheses which emerge from this analysis.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1979

The application of Kelly's Repotory Grid Technique to investigate disabled people's perceptions of their professional workers.

Blaxter, (1976), has shown that there is an amount of confusion and misunderstanding of British medical and social services among disabled people. This study attempts to explore the perceptions of just two young disabled women to ascertain their individual views of what is seemingly a very complex array of services. No attempt has been made to generalise the findings, although future work, using group data, may be completed at a later date. The main objective of the study was to find out if Kelly's Repertory Grid Technique could be applied to this particular problem. The technique was used alongside indepth interviews. In general, the grid analysis did concur with the content analysis of the indepth interviews, particularly if the subject used her own elicited constructs. Both informal and formal agents of help were investigated, but due to lack of space, only the analyses of the three formal agents are permitted. In both case studies, the subjects' perceptions of each formal agent varied according to her attitude towards that agent and the experiences she had in dealing with him. This was verified by comparing the relationship between constructs and elements (agents) with the discriptions given during the indepth interviews. By using McQuitty's, (1960), elementary linkage analysis, two main clusters of agents were obtained. Inclusion within either cluster was largely dependant upon whether the subject considered the agent to be an authoritarian, or peer-like figure. A number of possible applications of the reportory grid technique, for future research, are also discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The structure of delinquent values: a repertory grid investigation.

Two experiments are reported, employing repertory grid technique and designed to test predictions derived from Matza & Sykes' (1961) account of the relationship between delinquent and conventional values. These predictions were confirmed. In addition, following the demonstration of equivalence in the structure and content of value systems in delinquents and non-delinquents, certain differences between the groups were observed, which were eventually attributed to delinquency rather than socio-economic status. On the basis of the results, a two-component structural hypothesis of delinquent values is advanced. Implications for theories of delinquency are discussed and directions for further research suggested.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Delinquency and the development of moral reasoning.

A sample of 34 incarcerated male delinquents aged 16-17 and a matched group of controls were compared on self-report measures of delinquency, on Rest's (1975) Defining Issues Test (DIT) of moral reasoning, and on measures of logical operational ability. The mean levels of self-reported delinquency of the incarcerated group were substantially higher than those of the controls. There was no significant difference between the groups in logical operational ability but the mean P score (index of mature moral reasoning) was significantly higher in the control group. However, no relationship was found between moral reasoning and levels of self-reported delinquency. It was concluded that degree and seriousness of involvement of delinquency is unrelated to immaturity of moral reasoning and that the utility of the cognitive developmental approach to moral socialization may therefore be more restricted than has previously been claimed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

The specificity of schizophrenic thought disorder: a replication and extension of previous findings.

Eight thought-disordered schizophrenics, eight non-thought-disordered schizophrenics and eight normal subjects each completed four repertory grids, formed by combinations of two types of construct, psychological and physical, and two types of element, photographs and known people. The finding of McPherson & Buckley (1970) that thought-disordered schizophrenics are relatively less disordered when using physical constructs than when using psychological constructs was replicated. Further, this specificity of schizophrenic thought disorder was extended from grids employing photographs of strangers to grids employing known people, thus disconfirming an explanation of schizophrenic grid performance (Williams, 1971) in terms of 'cue insensitivity'.

Adult↗