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Biomedical subjects

W R Holcomb

Publications and source records attributed to W R Holcomb.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Clinicians' assessments of the service needs of young adult patients in public mental health care.

The level of functioning, treatment needs, and expected degree of compliance of 327 young adult patients who had a major psychiatric or substance abuse disorder were assessed retrospectively by the clinicians who provided their primary care in Missouri's public mental health system in 1982. Forty-eight percent of the patients were rated as having poor to grossly impaired functioning. Outpatient counseling, alcohol and drug abuse treatment, and outpatient crisis intervention were the most frequently named treatment needs. The most impaired patients were thought to be in greatest need of medication and crisis intervention, but to be most likely to comply with recommendations for outpatient counseling and psychotherapy. The authors believe that clinicians' assessments of needs of young adult psychiatric patients can serve as the basis of a model system of care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Personality mechanisms of alcohol-related violence.

Personality variables involved in alcohol-related violence were studied by comparing MMPI scores of four different groups (N = 259): (1) men who committed murder while intoxicated (violent while intoxicated condition); (2) men who committed murder while sober (violent while sober condition); (3) those who were admitted to a psychiatric unit with a nonalcohol and nonviolence related problem (nonviolent and nonintoxicated condition); and (4) those admitted to a detoxification unit with no evidence of violence prior to admission (nonviolent but intoxicated condition). The violent groups were found to be more paranoid but less manic than the nonviolent groups. Men who commit murder while sober tend to be less interpersonally sensitive (low MF scores) but more psychopathic (high PD scores) than those who commit murder while intoxicated. Those who commit murder while intoxicated tend to be less psychologically minded (high L scores) than those who become intoxicated but who do not kill. Suggestions for prevention and treatment of violence and future research directions are proposed in light of these results.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗
PubMed1985

State mental health directors' priorities for mental health care.

The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors surveyed all state mental health directors, through a series of mail questionnaires, to determine their national priorities for mental health care in the 1980s. In a ranking of 62 issues, the directors considered the top two priorities to be providing services and support programs in the community for the chronically mentally ill. Other highly ranked priorities included developing community residential programs, assuring continuation and funding of programs in a period of financial retrenchment, and developing a continuum of services for children and adolescents. A cluster analysis showed that within the overall group four different patterns of priorities emerged: issues related to certification and accreditation, to expansion of community programs both with and without a decrease in institution-based care, and to financial accountability.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1985

The development and cross-validation of an MMPI typology of murderers.

A sample of 80 male offenders charged with premeditated murder were divided into five personality types using MMPI scores. A hierarchical clustering procedure was used with a subsequent internal cross-validation analysis using a second sample of 80 premeditated murderers. A Discriminant Analysis resulted in a 96.25% correct classification of subjects from the second sample into the five types. Clinical data from a mental status interview schedule supported the external validity of these types. There were significant differences among the five types in hallucinations, disorientation, hostility, depression, and paranoid thinking. Both similarities and differences of the present typology with prior research was discussed. Additional research questions were suggested.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗
PubMed1984

Are separate black and white MMPI norms needed? An IQ-controlled comparison of accused murderers.

Investigated racial differences in MMPI responding by comparing samples of black and white males charged with murder (N = 160). Mancova was used to control statistically for the effects of intelligence on racial differences. Prior to the use of Mancova blacks had significantly higher scores on F and MA. When the effects of intelligence were controlled F and MA were no longer significantly different for blacks and whites. However, with black and white SS equated on IQ, significant differences emerged on the K and SI scales. These results indicate that construction of separate black and white norms for violent offenders is premature. More research is needed on variables that affect individual differences on the MMPI.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Cognitive and behavioral predictors of MMPI scores in pretrial psychological evaluations of murderers.

Tested by multivariate regression the validity of the MMPI with accused murderers (N = 96) who were undergoing pre-trial evaluations. Four significant behavioral and cognitive predictors of MMPI elevated scores were identified. These include low intelligence, history of drug abuse, suspiciousness observed on the ward, and the fact that the accused was a stranger to the victim. These results support the validity of the MMPI with this population and also suggest that high F scale scores on the MMPI are more a measure of psychopathology than invalidity due to test-taking response bias.

Criminal Psychology↗
PubMed1983

Accused murderers: five MMPI personality types.

A cluster analysis of the MMPIs of 110 men accused of capital and first-degree murder identified five profile types. When these types were compared on 24 sociological and behavioral variables, they differed on 16. Significant variables include family history, drug and alcohol use, events preceding the crime, and relationship between the accused and victim. Comparisons were made with several other systems of classifying murderers.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The inter-domain among personality and cognition variables in people who commit murder.

The inter-domain among personality (MMPI) and cognition (intelligence) variables in a sample of 137 males charged with first degree or capital murder was examined through canonical analysis. Race was included as a control variable. Two significant canonical correlations were found which contribute to an understanding of the relationship between personality and cognition in violent people. These variates were identified as Problem-solving Focus and Introspective Self-focus. Results also suggest that these inter-domain variates explain the relationship between personality and cognition variables to a greater degree for black murderers than for white murderers.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Racial influences on intelligence and personality measures of people who commit murder.

Examined a sample of murderers (N = 137) (91 white and 46 black offenders) for racial differences on intelligence (both verbal and nonverbal) and personality measures. Black offenders scored significantly lower than white offenders on both verbal and nonverbal intelligence as well as on the SI scale of the MMPI. However, they scored higher on the MA scale. Overall, the intelligence measures discriminated better between black and white offenders than personality measures. Implications for future research and efforts to develop new norms for the MMPI are discussed.

Ethnicity↗