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Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are rarely used to evaluate social and behavioral interventions designed for releasing prisoners. Objective: We use a pilot RCT of a social support intervention (Support Matters) as a case example to discuss obstacles and strategies for conducting RCT intervention evaluations that span prison and community contexts. Method: First, we summarize existing studies with current and former prisoner samples that highlight RCT methodological techniques. Then, we introduce the trial of Support Matters and discuss obstacles and efforts to overcome those obstacles. Results and Conclusions: We focus on factors related to sampling frame, participant eligibility, sample size, engagement, and attrition. We conclude with general recommendations related to project delays, compromised research sites, and retention. This article provides guidance based on lessons learned from an RCT of a social support intervention with releasing prisoners and their loved ones. Barriers discussed and recommendations presented here will help interventionists develop and implement RCTs in prison to community contexts.

The biopsychosocial perspective is a foundation of social work theory and practice. Recent research on neuroplasticity and psychosocial genomics lends compelling support to this perspective by elucidating mechanisms through which psychosocial forces shape neurobiology. Investigations of neuroplasticity demonstrate that the adult brain can continue to form novel neural connections and grow new neurons in response to learning or training even into old age. These findings are complemented by the contributions of psychosocial genomics, a field of scientific inquiry that explores the modulating effects of experience on gene expression. Findings from these new sciences provide external validation for the biopsychosocial perspective and offer important insights into the manifold means by which socioenvironmental experiences influence neurobiological structure and function across the life course.

Widespread adoption of pedagogical methods promoting evidence-based practice (EBP) could enhance the effectiveness of social work practice education. Schools of social work should ensure that faculty are trained in the methods of EBP; establish a committee responsible for tracking and implementing demonstrably effective instructional innovations related to EBP; provide continuing education courses that promote scientifically supported practices and that include a course devoted specifically to teaching the methods of EBP per se; reward faculty who model superior pedagogical skills in relation to EBP; provide extensive training in computerized bibliographic database searching and other information acquisition methods; incorporate problem-based instructional methods into all practice courses; employ skills-based in vivo assessments and other measures to ensure student-practitioner competency in EBP methods prior to graduation; emphasize specialty practice education to an unprecedented degree; and test for competence in specialty practice areas.

Issues confronted by those developing clinical social work guidelines are discussed and include the limited scientic foundations for such guidelines, their cost and potential ineffectiveness, as well as the possisble resistance from practitioners. An action plan to promote the practice guideline movement within social work is given.

The advisability of clinical practice guidelines for social work is discussed. Empirically based practice seems to increase with these standards, and client outcomes to improve. Such standards would also improve clinical training in social work schools and encourage more cost-effective practice.

Objective. To evaluate studies that applied Cloninger's tridimensional theory of personality to substance abusers. Method: Medline and Psychlnfo data bases were searched for studies published between 1986 and mid-1995 that used the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). A supplemental manual search was conducted to identify additional evaluations of the tridimensional theory. Reports were reviewed if they included substance abusers or related tridimensional traits to substance use measures. Results: Factor analyses did not consistently support the tridimensionality of the TPQ. Novelty Seeking (NS) traits distinguished alcoholics from nonalcoholics, Type B and Type 2 alcoholics from their Type A and Type I counterparts, smokers from nonsmokers, and individuals (substance abusers and nonabusers) with and without antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Tridimensional traits independently predicted early onset alcohol abuse and serious delinquency in studies that did not employ the TPQ and were significantly associated with concurrent substance abuse among adolescents. Most studies that compared nonalcoholic youth with positive and negative family histories of alcoholism reported nonsignificant TPQ differences or very small effects. Few alcoholics, cigarette smokers or sons of alcoholics displayed Type I (low novelty seeking, high harm avoidance, high reward dependence) or Type 2 (high novelty seeking, low harm avoidance, low reward dependence) TPQ profiles, but rarely were levels of tridimensional traits determined by reference to established norms. Conclusions: NS predicts early onset alcohol abuse and criminality and discriminates alcoholics exhibiting antisocial behavior and persons with ASPD from their nonantisocial counterparts. Findings for the Harm Avoidance (HA) and Reward Dependence TPQ subscales are much less consistent. Some support for the role of elevated HA in intensity of substance use has been adduced. At present, the utility of the TPQ for prevention or clinical purposes is not well established. (J. Stud Alcohol 58: 48-66,1997), Cloninger's tridimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) gives somewhat confusing results when applied to alcoholism. C.R. Cloninger developed a tridimensional personality and psychopathology assessment tool that rates behavior by novelty seeking, harm avoidances and reward dependence scales. Researchers searched the literature for applications of TPQ to substance abuse and statistically analyzed findings. No conclusive correlations were found for harm avoidance and reward dependence, but higher novelty seeking scores were correlated with early alcohol abuse, criminal behavior, and antisocial personality disorder., ONE OF THE MOST influential personality theories propounded in recent years is Cloninger's 'unified biosocial' model. Cloninger (1986) developed the theory to account for the differences in the susceptibility of [...]

Essential alcoholics differ from reactive alcoholics in having more severe alcoholism with an earlier onset, less education and a lower occupational status, more conflicts with others, lesser number of long lasting friendships, greater degree of antisocial tendencies and behaviors. They also have greater family history of alcoholism, more affected neuropsychological functions, and a lower blood pressure at rest. Previous studies in the field and clinical implications for treatment are discussed.

Demographic, diagnostic, and service utilization characteristics of veterans diagnosed with suicide attempt, substance dependence, both, or neither at discharge from Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) hospitals in fiscal year 1994 (FY94) were compared using the DVA's discharge abstract database. Four groups of veterans were studied: (1) substance-abusing suicidal inpatients (n = 1,459), (2) substance-abusing nonsuicidal inpatients (n = 123,808), (3) nonsubstance-abusing suicidal inpatients (n = 632), and (4) nonsubstance-abusing nonsuicidal inpatients (n = 402,906). Substance-abusing suicidal veterans had higher rates of substance abuse than substance-abusing nonsuicidal veterans and were more psychiatrically disordered than nonsubstance-abusing suicidal veterans. Substance-abusing suicidal veterans had a higher mean number of inpatient treatment episodes and a larger proportion of discharges against medical advice than the other three inpatient groups. Psychiatric and substance use disorders are more prevalent among substance-abusing suicidal veterans than among veterans with only substance use disorders or suicidal conduct.

An assessment of the inadequacies of empirical literature on the evaluation of relative cost-effectiveness of alcoholism treatment modalities stretches conclusions beyond available proof. Treatment of alcoholics is undertaken with significantly different security. Researchers fail to evaluate clinical trials along lines other than the application of some kind of comparison group.

A study was conducted to analyze the citation frequency of articles published in drug and alcohol journals. 541 articles published in drug and alcohol journals in 1984 were selected and their citation history, from 1984 to 1988, was studied. The analysis revealed that almost 71% of the articles had at least one citation during this period and that, on an average, each article had been cited 3.48 times. Articles with methodological and review content were used most frequently for citation purposes.

Eighty-two hospitalized alcoholics receiving pharmacological aversion therapy (PAT) over a 10-day treatment interval completed cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological measures evaluating conditioned aversion to alcohol. Pre-post assessments provided convergent support for the efficacy of PAT vis-a-vis production of conditioned aversion to alcohol. Positive alcohol-related outcome expectancies were significantly reduced, whereas confidence that drinking could be avoided in various high-risk situations for consumption was increased following PAT. Behavioral and cardiac rate assessments revealed significant changes following PAT that were specific to alcoholic beverages and potentially reflective of conditioned alcohol aversion. Patients with more extensive pretreatment experiences with alcohol-associated nausea and greater involvement in antisocial conduct appeared to be less susceptible to the PAT conditioning protocol. Key Words: Aversion therapy; Chemical aversion treatment; Emetine hydrochloride; Pharmacological aversion treatment., The notion that habitual drunkenness could be successfully treated by pairing the consumption of an alcoholic beverage with an aversive experience is age-old. Pliny the Elder, the Roman encyclopedist, listed [...]

The article presents information about several items related to psychotherapy. "The Helping, Sharing and Caring Game" is a children's board game that may be used at home, school or in the counselor's office. "Stigmata .44" is a 23-minute drama written by Nicholas Goodman. "Coming Together for Life From Conflict to Caring" is a couples communication skills workbook for those involved in close interpersonal relationships.

Guidelines for clinical practice have proliferated in recent years. Numerous studies indicate that guidelines can increase empirically based practice and improve clients' outcomes. Guidelines for social work practice would also promote more informed client decision making, improve clinical training in schools of social work, encourage more cost-effective and accountable practice, and help codify current knowledge in controversial practice areas. The National Association of Social Workers should institute a guidelines development program and ensure that guidelines reflect traditional social work values and the best in available scientific evidence and practice experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the results of a study which followed through 1988 the citation histories of 541 articles published in 1984 in 12 drug and alcohol journals. National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Method; Results; A heuristic perspective of the prediction of article and journal citation counts; Discussion.

Methodological characteristics and substantive findings of investigations of essential and reactive alcoholics were reviewed. The data base was comprised of approximately 12 studies published between 1951–1992, most of which employed small samples of hospitalized male alcoholics. Psychometric properties of the Essential-Reactive Alcoholism Questionnaire, the instrument generally used to assess the essential-reactive dimensions, rarely were examined. The weight of the evidence suggests that essential alcoholics have earlier onset and greater severity of alcoholism, lower levels of occupational and educational achievement, more interpersonal conflict, fewer long-term friendships, more antisocial attitudes and conduct, greater density of familial alcoholism, more impaired neuropsychological functioning, and lower resting blood pressure than do reactive alcoholics. Research is needed to assess the prognostic utility of the essential-reactive typology and the degree to which the distinction may facilitate patient-treatment matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]