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A vision statement and call to action from Deans for Impact--a group of deans committing themselves to a set of principles intended to elevate the performance of educator preparation programs and the status of teachers. Their objectives include: Develop a consensus around a professional knowledge base for teachers; create a tighter connection between K-12 systems and schools of education; require states to make data available to programs and the public about teachers prepared by each institution; aim the research lens inward to evaluate and identify the most effective elements teacher education; rethink structures and incentives in higher education institutions to create entities that are more nimble and receptive to change; and develop a strong professional network for schools of education leaders that connects them to peers and helps them lead change within their institutions.

Background: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) alcohol use disorder (AUD) criteria are written in broad enough terms to apply to diverse populations. The current analyses evaluate whether the endorsement of criteria changes with increasing age in individuals with persistent AUDs. Methods: Data regarding AUDs persisting across 3 timepoints between average ages of 31 and 43 were gathered about every 5 years from 318 interviews for 106 San Diego Prospective Study (SDPS) AUD male probands. Similar data regarding persistent AUDs across 2 timepoints were obtained from 136 interviews with 68 SDPS AUD offspring between average ages of 21 and 27. Changes in the endorsement of each AUD criterion were evaluated using Cochran's Q test. Results: For AUD probands across time, significant decreases were observed in the proportions endorsing 4 criteria (tolerance, withdrawal, failure to fulfill obligations, and using alcohol in hazardous situations). Increased rates of endorsement were documented for 3 criteria (drinking alcohol in higher amounts or for longer periods of time, spending a great deal of time regarding alcohol, and continued use despite social or interpersonal problems). Significant increases in rates of endorsements for offspring were seen for spending a great deal of time regarding alcohol and giving up or reducing important activities in order to drink. Conclusions: These data indicate that the salience of many DSM AUD criterion items changed significantly with age in both SDPS generations among individuals with persistent AUDs. The current results support the need for additional systematic research to determine whether specific criterion items might need to be weighted differently in evaluating older and younger individuals with persistent AUDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The most efficient approach for establishing family histories (FHs) asks informants about disorders in their relatives (a Family History Method [FHM]). However, FHMs underestimate family diagnoses. We evaluated if accuracies of young adult offspring report of their father's alcohol use disorders (AUDs) related to the age, sex, education, and/or substance‐related patterns/problems of either the young adult informants or their AUD fathers. Methods: Data from the San Diego Prospective Study (SDPS), a multigenerational 35‐year investigation, compared father/offspring pairs where the proband father's alcohol problems were correctly (Group 1) or incorrectly (Group 2) noted by offspring. In the key analysis, Group 1 versus 2 results were entered into bootstrapped backward logistic regression analyses predicting Group 1 membership. Results: Five proband and one offspring characteristic were associated with correct identification of their father's alcohol problems. None of these related to age, education, or sex. Characteristics associated with correct FHM diagnoses included the father's FH of AUDs, self‐report of drinking despite social/interpersonal or physical/psychological alcohol‐related problems, spending much time related to alcohol, and his having a religious preference. The single offspring item predicting correct identification of the father's problems was the number of DSM alcohol problems of the offspring. Conclusions: In the SDPS, FHM sensitivity was most closely related to the father's drinking characteristics, not the offspring characteristics. While unique aspects of SDPS families potentially limit generalizability of results, the data demonstrate how the FHM can offer important initial steps in the search for genetically related AUD risks in a subset of families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 35‐year‐long San Diego Prospective Study documented 2‐fold increases in alcohol problems and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in young‐adult drinking offspring compared to rates in their fathers, the original probands. The current analyses use the same interviews and questionnaires at about the same age in members of the 2 generations to explore multiple potential contributors to the generational differences in adverse alcohol outcomes. Methods: Using data from recent offspring interviews, multiple cross‐generation differences in characteristics potentially related to alcohol problems were evaluated in 3 steps: first through direct comparisons across probands and offspring at about age 30; second by backward linear regression analyses of predictors of alcohol problems within each generation; and finally third through R‐based bootstrapped linear regressions of differences in alcohol problems in randomly matched probands and offspring. Results: The analyses across the analytical approaches revealed 3 consistent predictors of higher alcohol problems in the second generation. These included the following: (i) a more robust relationship to alcohol problems for offspring with a low level of response to alcohol; (ii) higher offspring values for alcohol expectancies; and (iii) higher offspring impulsivity. Conclusions: The availability of data across generations offered a unique perspective for studying characteristics that may have contributed to a general finding in the literature of substantial increases in alcohol problems and AUDs in recent generations. If replicated, these results could suggest approaches to be used by parents, healthcare workers, insurance companies, and industry in their efforts to mitigate the increasing rates of alcohol problems in younger generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low level of responses (low LRs) to alcohol established using the Self‐Report of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) questionnaire are genetically influenced phenotypes related to heavy drinking and alcohol problems. To date, most studies using SREs focused on scores for the number of drinks needed for effects across the first 5 times of drinking (SRE‐5), and few evaluated scores that also included the prior 3 months and heaviest drinking periods (SRE‐T). This paper evaluates characteristics of SRE‐5 and SRE‐T within and across generations. Methods: Data were extracted from 407 participants across 2 generations of 107 families in the San Diego Prospective Study (SDPS). Pearson's product–moment correlations for SRE‐5 and SRE‐T were determined across first‐degree relatives both within and across generations and sexes, as well as correlations of each measure to maximum drinking quantities and alcohol problems. Results: Responding to 4 hypotheses, first the analyses demonstrated significant within‐generation positive correlations for both SRE measures across brother–brother and sister–sister pairs as well as cross‐generation correlations for fathers and sons, although correlations for mothers and daughters were not robust. Second, both SRE‐5 and SRE‐T correlated with maximum drinks and alcohol problems for both sexes and both generations. Third, within parental and offspring generations SRE‐T correlated more robustly than SRE‐5 to maximum drinks and alcohol problems. Fourth, across generations SRE values for sons were more closely related to drinking quantities and problems than for their fathers, but the mother–daughter SRE relationships to adverse alcohol characteristics were not different. Conclusions: Both the SRE‐5 and SRE‐T offered useful information about propensities toward heavier drinking and alcohol problems in SDPS families. Correlations with adverse alcohol outcomes were greater for the more broad‐based SRE‐T, but both scores appeared to be genetically influenced and continue to operate in a robust manner in both generations of these families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Student heavy drinking and associated problems are common at most universities and fluctuate throughout the calendar year, with marked increases during celebrations. Most studies of student drinking are limited to the academic year itself, and relatively few focus specifically on special heavy drinking events. Even fewer studies include drinking during summer break and subsequent school return. Methods In the context of an experimental protocol, beginning in January 2014, alcohol-related characteristics were evaluated 8 times over 55 weeks for 462 college freshmen, including periods that incorporated a campus festival, summer, and school return. Baseline predictors of drinking quantities over time included demography, substance use patterns, as well as environmental and attitudinal characteristics. Product-moment correlations evaluated relationships between baseline characteristics and subsequent quantities, and simultaneous entry regression analyses evaluated which characteristics most robustly predicted usual and maximum drinks over time. Results Maximum drinks per occasion increased 18% from the early spring (4/8/14 to 5/6/14) to the campus festival period (5/7/14 to 6/3/14), decreased 29% in the summer (7/8/14 to 8/5/14), and increased 31% on school return (10/7/14 to 11/4/14). The most robust predictors of higher quantities in regression analyses included items from each of the 3 major domains with the most consistent results seen for most baseline alcohol-related items and descriptive drinking norms ( R2 = 0.20 to 0.31). Conclusions These data demonstrate important changes in students' drinking during the calendar year, including expected large increases during the month of a 1-day festival, large decreases over the summer, and resumption of relatively high quantities upon return to school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Low levels of alcohol responses (low LRs) are genetically influenced phenotypes that are identified before alcohol dependence and predict future heavy drinking and alcohol problems. A recent paper described 13 LR-related blood oxygen level-dependent ( BOLD) response contrast patterns observed during an emotional face recognition task that might reflect cognitive processes contributing to LR and that might themselves predict adverse alcohol outcomes ( Paulus et al., Biol Psychiatry 2012; 72: 848). This paper evaluates the predictive implications of those functional magnetic resonance imaging (f MRI) patterns. Methods Of 120 subjects from Paulus and colleagues (2012), 114 (57 low and high LRs; ~50% females) were interviewed 5 years later at age 25. Correlations between baseline f MRI patterns and alcohol-related outcomes were evaluated, and regression analyses were used to determine if BOLD response contrasts incremented over LR in predicting outcomes. Results Baseline f MRI patterns in 5 of 13 baseline regions of interest correlated with adverse outcomes. Such patterns in insular regions, particularly the left anterior insula, and the right frontal gyrus, added to LR in predicting alcohol problems. The relationships remained robust when exact binomial procedures were used, but, reflecting the small sample size, it was not possible to adequately consider Bonferroni corrections. Conclusions The data suggest that f MRI BOLD response contrasts predicted heavier drinking and alcohol problems 5 years later, even after considering baseline low LRs. Future work will focus on whether f MRI results can predict outcomes in larger samples and among young nondrinkers, as well as how the imaging results increase understanding of the processes through which LR operates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Heavy drinking is common during transitions from high school to college. Optimal programs for diminishing risks for high alcohol consumption often tailor the approach to the specific needs of students. This study describes the results of an Internet-based prevention protocol that tailors the information to the risk associated with a pre-existing phenotype, the Low level of Response (Low LR) to alcohol. Methods Using stratified random assignment, 454 freshmen with Low and High LR values were assigned to 2 education groups (LR-based where all examples were given the context of the Low LR model of heavy drinking or a State Of The Art (SOTA) Group where the same lessons were taught but without an emphasis on LR) or a no-intervention Control Group. Individuals in the 2 education groups viewed 50-minute online videos once per week for 4 weeks. Changes in drinking patterns were assessed at Baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks using a 2 (LR status) by 3 (education group) by 3 (time points) analysis of variance, with additional tests for ethnicity and sex. Results Low LR participants tended to decrease their usual ( p < 0.06) and maximum ( p < 0.05) drinks per occasion most prominently when assigned to the LR-based protocol, while those with High LRs improved more in the SOTA Group. The most robust differences were seen when controlling for ethnicity. The effect sizes were small to medium. Conclusions These results support the advantages of carrying out prevention via the Internet and in tailoring the approach to a pre-existing phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Alcohol and drug use disorders ( AUDs and SUDs) and their combination are relatively common and often occur together. However, the relationships of potential early life correlates of alcohol and drug disorders to the combined diagnoses have rarely been evaluated in long-term prospective studies or in populations at high risk of one of these diagnoses but not the other. Methods Data were analyzed from 397 males (half with an alcohol-dependent father) who had no AUDs or SUDs at age 20 and who were followed approximately every 5 years for 3 decades. Early life correlates and the course of AUDs, SUDs, and combined disorders were evaluated for 4 groups of subjects based on subsequent alcohol and/or drug diagnoses. Results While the overall rates of the development of AUDs and SUDs were 41 and 21%, respectively, the rates of the second substance-related diagnosis were almost 2-fold higher for individuals who had the first condition. Among potential risk factors, scores for externalizing traits were elevated for men with AUDs, SUDs, and their combination, but a low level of response (low LR) to alcohol was associated only with the risk of AUDs, even when observed in the context of SUDs. The same earlier life characteristics that related to AUDs and to SUDs also related to the combination of these diagnoses in the same person. Finally, in this prospective study, subjects with both AUDs and SUDs had a more severe course than subjects with either condition alone. Conclusions This prospective evaluation of a group at high risk of AUDs confirmed the selective impact of the low LR on the risk of AUDs, the relationship of externalizing characteristics to both AUDs and SUDs and confirmed the more severe clinical course for both conditions when seen together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Individuals who report problematic drinking early in life often recover from alcohol-related disorders, with or without formal treatment. While risk factors associated with developing alcohol use disorders ( AUDs), such as a family history of alcoholism and the genetically influenced low level of response ( LR) to alcohol, have been identified, less is known about characteristics that relate to remission from AUDs. Methods The male subjects (98% Caucasian) for this study were 129 probands from the San Diego Prospective Study who were first evaluated at age 20 as drinking but not alcohol-dependent young men, most of whom were college graduates by follow-up. The individuals evaluated here met criteria for an AUD at their first follow-up at ages 28 to 33 and were followed every 5 years for the next 2 decades. Discrete-time survival analysis was used to examine rates of initial and sustained AUD remission and to evaluate the relationships of premorbid characteristics and other risk factors to these outcomes. Results Sixty percent of the sample met criteria for an initial AUD remission of 5 or more years, including 45% with sustained remission (i.e., no subsequent AUD diagnosis). Higher education, lower drinking frequency, and having a diagnosis of alcohol abuse (rather than dependence) were associated with higher rates of initial AUD remission. A lower LR to alcohol at age 20, as well as lower drinking frequency, having received formal alcohol treatment, and older age at the first follow-up all predicted a greater likelihood of sustained AUD remission. Conclusions This study identified key factors associated with initial and sustained AUD remission in subjects diagnosed with AUD in young adulthood. Characteristics associated with better outcomes early in the life span, such as lower drinking frequency and early treatment, appear to have a lasting impact on remission from AUD across adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background New approaches are needed to bolster the modest effects of campus drinking prevention programs. However, more definitive research on new paradigms is very expensive, and in the current economic climate, progress can be made by evaluating smaller pilot studies. This study describes one such approach. Methods A sample of 18-year-old or older, healthy, drinking freshmen at our university was assigned to 2 groups stratified to be similar on demography, drinking histories, and their level of response ( LR) to alcohol. In the spring quarter of the school year, the 32 subjects in each of 2 groups viewed four 45-minute Internet-based videotapes as part of 4 prevention sessions. All 8 modules were based on the same techniques and general content, but the 4 videos for the first group were structured around the validated model of how a low LR affects heavy drinking (the low level of response-based [ LRB] Group), with partial mediation by heavier drinking peers, positive alcohol expectancies, and drinking to cope with stress. Videos for the state-of-the-art ( SOTA) comparison group did not place the similar prevention messages into the low LR framework. Changes in drinking were evaluated at 3 times: before Module 1, before Module 4, and 1 month after Module 4. Results Usual and maximum drinks per occasion decreased over time for both high and low LR subjects in both LRB and SOTA groups. As predicted, the low LR students showed greater decreases in the LRB Group, while high LR students showed greater decreases in the more generic SOTA Group. Conclusions The results support the hypothesis that tailoring prevention efforts to address specific predisposing factors, such as a low LR, may be associated with beneficial effects on drinking quantity. We hope that these data will encourage additional efforts to validate the low LR-based prevention paradigm and test other interventions that are targeted toward predisposing phenotypes such as impulsivity and negative affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The low level of response (LR) to alcohol, an endophenotype related to heavy drinking and alcohol problems, influences the risk for alcoholism in the context of additional life domains. This article evaluates an LR-based model of drinking patterns in 113 drinking offspring, ages 12 to 24 years, from the San Diego Prospective Study. Method: Correlations and structural equation models (SEMs) were evaluated using LR as measured from the Self-Report of the Effects of Alcohol questionnaire in the offspring. The expectations of the effects of alcohol (EXPECT), the perception of drinking in peers (PEER), the use of alcohol to cope with Stress (COPE), and the drinking quantities and alcohol-related problems (ALCOUT) were evaluated in the SEM. Results: The LR-based model worked well, with good fit characteristics and 78% of the variance of outcome explained. LR related directly to ALCOUT, with additional mediation of that relationship through EXPECT and COPE. Conclusions: The LR-based model performed well in adolescents from the San Diego Prospective Study. Knowledge of which domains mediate how LR impacts alcohol-related outcomes may be useful in developing more focused and potentially more effective prevention approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A low level of response (LR) to alcohol as measured through alcohol challenges is an early-appearing, genetically influenced characteristic that predicts the risk of heavier drinking and alcohol problems. A less expensive and more easily used measure of LR, the retrospective Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) questionnaire, also relates to alcohol intake and problems but has not been evaluated for its ability to predict alcohol-related problems 5 years later.Method: At Time 1, 95 18- to 35-year-old (mean age: 25.9 years) subjects who were offspring from families participating at the San Diego site of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) were administered the SRE and evaluated regarding alcohol, drug, and demographic characteristics using the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA) interview. Follow-up interviews (Time 2) using the SSAGA were completed an average (SD) of 5.4 (1.34) years later for approximately 80% of the original sample.Results: The retrospective SRE score at Time 1 (the number of drinks for effects the first five times [First 5] of drinking) correlated with Time 2 maximum quantity and frequency, alcohol problems overall, the number of alcohol-dependence items endorsed, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence. The relationships remained robust in hierarchical logistic regression analyses even in the context of age, gender, the number of SRE items endorsed, and alcohol use and problem variables at Time 1. The regressions explained between 21% and 43% of the variance of the outcomes overall, with the First 5 SRE score alone accounting for between 4% and 14%.Conclusions: These findings are consistent with the ability of SRE-based LR scores at Time 1 to predict alcohol-related outcomes over the subsequent 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium presented at the 2005 Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in Santa Barbara, California. This symposium begins with a description by Michael Windle of structural equation modeling (SEM), including the assets and liabilities of this approach. Next, Marc Schuckit and Tom Smith demonstrate the application of an SEM approach to understanding the impact of a low level of response to alcohol, using data from both adolescent and adult populations. Victor Hesselbrock and colleagues next review the results when an SEM approach is used in the longitudinal study of externalizing behaviors. This is followed by a description of the application of SEM to an affect-related model as discussed by John Kramer and Kathleen Bucholz. Finally, Kenneth Sher offers thoughts on how to place these findings into perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report evaluates whether the characteristics associated with alcohol abuse and dependence are similar in two groups of men despite their enrollment in different research projects and the resulting differences in education and related background variables. Data regarding demographic and substance use characteristics and problems were gathered using similar research instruments from the 15-ear follow-up of 108 highly educated DSM-III-R alcohol-dependent men from the San Diego Prospective Study (Group 1) and 306 similarly diagnosed men with lower education from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA ) (Group 2). Both groups of alcoholics reported high rates of alcohol-relatedproblems, a similar maximum number of drinks per day, and similar proportions of drug use/non-use, although Group 1 subjects were less likely to report alcohol withdrawal and items associated with loss of control. Thus, teachers and clinicians may be able to generalize their knowledge and experience across different groups of alcoholics, using common sense modifications of their expectations based on the general characteristics of the groups involved despite differences in background variables, including education, income, marital status, and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To evaluate the clinical course of specific alcohol-related life problems and the risk for dependence on illicit drugs in individuals with relatively low and high levels of response (LR) to alcohol earlier in life. Subjects. From among 439 men who were part of the 15-year follow-up of sons of alcoholics and controls, 108 were identified as having fulfilled criteria for DSM-III-R alcohol dependence. Measures. The LR to alcohol was originally evaluated following the consumption of 0.61 g/kg of ethanol at age 20 by determining the levels of change in subjective feelings of intoxication, body sway and several hormones such as cortisol. From the 453 original subjects, 450 completed a face-to-face 10-year follow-up evaluation, and 439 completed the 15-year protocol. Findings. A comparison of the clinical course of 50 alcohol-dependent men with clearly low LR values at age 20 with that for 42 individuals whose LR scores were above the median revealed few differences. Those with a low LR had a slightly earlier age of onset of alcohol dependence (24.8 ± 3.41 vs. 26.6 ± 4.48 years), and this finding was unrelated to the presence of an alcohol-dependent father. Otherwise the members of the two groups demonstrated a similar course of alcohol dependence. There was no relationship between a low LR at age 20 and either the pattern of substances used or the rate of dependence on illicit drugs. Conclusions. The results indicate that for this sample a low LR to alcohol, while associated with a high risk for alcohol dependence, was not related to most aspects of the course of alcohol problems once dependence developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence among men in San Diego, California. Account on the percentage of alcohol dependent patients; Percentage of men with developed alcohol dependence after the clinical study; Link of alcohol dependence with family history of alcoholism and drug use.

Abstract: Previous research has shown that an early onset of drinking is associated with a range of problematic drinking outcomes in adulthood. However, earlier drinking is also linked to additional characteristics that themselves predict alcohol problems including male gender, a family history (FH) of alcoholism, age, race, parental alcoholism, depression symptoms, prior drug use, and conduct problems. This study tested the relationship between the age of first drink (AFD) and a range of risk factors that predict the onset of alcohol use. Participants were offspring from the San Diego Prospective Study (SDPS) who were at least 15 years old at the time of their most recent interview (n =147). Discrete-time survival analysis (DTSA) was used to relate multiple characteristics to the hazard function of alcohol onset across a relevant age range. The results demonstrated the predicted relationships to AFD for conduct problems, male gender, prior marijuana use, and a FH of alcoholism, even when these characteristics were estimated together. Furthermore, an interaction occurred such that offspring with both conduct problems and marijuana use were at substantially higher risk for alcohol use onset during this time period than would be predicted from the effect of these two risk factors alone. However, age at interview, ethnicity, parent education, and depressive symptoms did not predict the pattern of onset of drinking. Implications for future research and prevention efforts are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: These analyses use data from a 40-year prospective study to extend information into the sixth and seventh decades of life regarding latent trajectory classes of cannabis use and predictors of those classes., Method: Data from the San Diego Prospective Study were analyzed for 329 men of European and Hispanic ethnicity who had used cannabis at about age 23 at study entry (Time 1) and who were interviewed about every 5 years through about age 60 to 70. Latent classes of cannabis use trajectories were evaluated using latent class growth analyses, baseline predictors of class membership were determined, and significant predictors of each class were established using logistic regression analyses., Results: Four latent classes were identified ranging from 12.5% with cannabis use at every follow-up to 25.8% with no use after Time 1. Eight of 14 Time 1 predictors differed significantly across the trajectory classes, including five (age, marital status, religious identity, intensity of cannabis use, and sensation seeking) that significantly contributed to regression analyses when all significant predictors were considered together., Discussion: Forty-two percent of participants continued using cannabis long-term, including one in eight who used it at every follow-up. Predictors of continued use and identification of those most likely to stop required gathering information on a range of demographic, prior substance use, and personality characteristics., Conclusions: Considering the potential enhanced dangers of cannabis use in later life, the high rate of continued use over four decades implies that clinicians should ask all older patients about recent cannabis use, especially if they had used it in their 20s.

Background and Objectives: Evaluations of how a genetically influenced characteristic, such as the low level of response (a low LR) to alcohol, relates to later heavy drinking and alcohol problems usually include environmental contributors. The best way to understand how LR works in the context of these additional characteristics is to study the process prospectively, but such analyses tend to be complex and the papers are sometimes cluttered with jargon. This report attempts to offer a more straightforward description of the results from such a prospective model of how a lower LR at age 20 relates to alcohol outcomes at age 40., Methods: A structural equation model of LR at age ∼20, outcomes of heavy drinking and problems at age ∼40, and additional characteristics at age ∼35 were tested in 378 men from the San Diego Prospective Study., Results: The results support both direct effects of age-20 LR on age-40 heavy drinking and alcohol problems, as well as indirect effects of LR through characteristics of these men at age 35. The latter include using alcohol to cope with stress and heavier drinking among peers., Conclusions: A low LR to alcohol is an example of how both genes and environment can contribute to the risk for adverse alcohol outcomes. The identification of mechanisms through which LR impacts on later heavy drinking and problems can be approached in cross-sectional studies, but those may not be as sensitive as longitudinal models for identifying additional potential mediators of the LR-to-outcome relationship.

In a study of 59 veterans and healthcare workers, the reliability of a self-monitoring method used to track the frequency of a spiritually oriented stress reduction technique was assessed. During a 5-week program of silently repeating a mantram (a spiritual word or phrase) to lower stress and anger and improve spiritual well-being, portable wrist-worn counters were used to track daily mantram practice sessions. All outcomes significantly improved in the hypothesized direction. Mantram practice tracked by the counters was highly correlated (r = .84) with retrospective self-reports, indicating that such counters may be a reliable self-monitoring tool and could be used to measure a variety of other behavioral health quality indicators.

Background: Healthcare workers report high levels of stress in the workplace. To determine how to reduce stress, the authors examined the effectiveness of frequently repeating a mantram (a word with spiritual meaning) on emotional and spiritual well-being., Methods: A pretest-posttest design was used to measure stress, state/trait anxiety and anger, quality of life, and spiritual well-being in a convenience sample (N=42) of hospital workers completing a mantram intervention program., Results: Significant improvements were found in stress (p < .001), trait-anxiety (p = .002), trait-anger (p = .02), quality of life (p = .001), and spiritual well-being (p = .003). When examining the effects of mantram practice, trait-anxiety and religious and spiritual well-being were significant (p < .05)., Conclusion: Improvements in emotional and spiritual well-being may be mediated by frequent mantram repetition.

Objective: The development of alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) reflects a complex relationship between genetic influences and environmental/cultural forces. Some genes operate through intermediate phenotypes, including a low level of response (LR) to alcohol, externalizing symptoms (EXT), and internalizing characteristics such as depressive syndromes (DEP). This article evaluates the impact of these three intermediate phenotypes and additional domains in a structural equation model (SEM)., Method: Data were available from baseline at approximately age 20 for LR, as well as from additional domains at the 10- and 15-year follow-up periods for 393 men from the San Diego Prospective Study. Correlational analyses and an AMOS-based SEM were used to evaluate the development of alcohol problems, including AUDs, with the hypothetical model based on results from prior studies evaluating each key intermediate phenotype separately., Results: The SEM explained 51% of the variance of the 15-year outcome, and had good fit characteristics. The family history ofAUDs (FHalc) was linked, directly or indirectly, to all three key domains. The combination of LR and EXT mediated the relationship between FHalc and 15-year alcohol outcomes, with a trend (p = .07) for LR to mediate between FHalc and the 10-year outcome. DEP, by itself, did not mediate FHalc to alcoholism. The LR predicted the 15-year outcome both through alcohol problems at 10 years and via drinking to cope (COPE), with each of these domains functioning as mediators. The relationship of EXT to outcome was mediated by alcohol expectations (EXPECT) and by COPE. DEP added to the model in the context of an FH of independent depressions, stress, and lower social supports, subsequently affecting COPE., Conclusions: The results indicate that the development of AUDs reflects several genetically influenced endophenotypes in the context of multiple additional domains. Both EXPECT and COPE represented important pathways through which the phenotypes influenced the AUD risk.

Objective: To validate a short English-language version of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-autoquestionnaire version (TEMPS-A), a self-report questionnaire designed to measure temperamental variations in psychiatric patients and healthy volunteers. Its constituent subscales and items were formulated on the basis of the diagnostic criteria for affective temperaments (cyclothymic, dysthymic, irritable, hyperthymic, and anxious), originally developed by the first author and his former collaborators. Further item wording and selection were achieved at a later stage through an iterative process that incorporated feedback from clinicians, researchers, and research volunteers., Method: A total of 510 volunteers (284 patients with mood disorders, 131 relatives of bipolar probands, and 95 normal controls) were recruited by advertisement in the newspapers, announcements on radio and television, flyers and newsletters, and word of mouth. All participants were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, and completed the 110-item TEMPS-A and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125). The factorial structure, the alpha coefficients, and the item-total correlations coefficients of the TEMPS-A and the correlation coefficients between the dimensions of the TCI and the TEMPS-A subscales were then determined., Results: A principal components analysis with a Varimax rotation found that 39 out of the 110 original items of the TEMPS-A loaded on five factors that were interpreted as representing the cyclothymic, depressive, irritable, hyperthymic, and anxious factors. Coefficients alpha for internal consistency were 0.91 (cyclothymic), 0.81 (depressive), 0.77 (irritable), 0.76 (hyperthymic), and 0.67 (anxious) subscales. We found statistically significant positive correlations between all-but the hyperthymic-subscales and harm avoidance. Positive correlations with the hyperthymic and cyclothymic, and novelty seeking and negative correlations with the remaining subscales were also recorded. Other major findings included positive correlations between the hyperthymic and reward dependence, persistence and self-directedness; positive correlation between the self-transcendence and the cyclothymic, hyperthymic and the anxious; and negative correlations between the depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, anxious and cooperativeness., Limitation: As the full-scale anxious temperament was added after the four scales of the TEMPS-A were developed, it has only been evaluated in 345 subjects., Conclusions: These data indicate that the TEMPS-A in its shortened version is a psychometrically valid scale with good internal consistency. The proposed five subscale structure is upheld. Concurrent validity against the TCI is shown. Most importantly, for each of the temperaments, we were able to show positive attributes which are meaningful in an evolutionary context, along with traits which make a person vulnerable to mood shifts. This hypothesized dual nature of temperament, which is upheld by our data, is a desirable characteristic for a putative behavioral endophenotype in an oligogenic model of inheritance for bipolar disorder.