Faculty Bibliography

Spirituality is important to many psychiatric patients, and these patients may be moved toward recovery more effectively if their spiritual needs are addressed in treatment. This, however, is rarely given expression in the psychiatric services of teaching hospitals. In order to develop this potential area of improved care, we (1) evaluated the differential attitudes of patients and psychiatric trainees toward the value of spirituality in the recovery process, (2) established a program of group meetings conducted by psychiatric residents and staff where patients can discuss how to draw on their spirituality in coping with their problems, and (3) established related training experiences for psychiatric residents. The results and implications of these three initiatives are presented

This study was undertaken to provide an initial characterization of the current status of patients admitted to an alcoholism treatment program in Iceland. Consistent with the Minnesota Model, 12-step facilitation has been a central component of the program since its inception. Of the 94 patients assessed in this study, 67% were male and 40% had attended over 90 AA meetings prior to admission. The mean number of drinking days during the month prior to admission was 15.51 days and the mean length of hospital stay was 12.32 days. At time of hospital discharge, 39% were referred to residential treatment. Significant predictors of referral to residential treatment included having attended less than 90 AA meetings prior to admission and length of stay

We tested the hypothesis that there is a mediational pathway from parental alcohol use during the participants' adolescence to the participants' psychological symptoms in young adulthood. This pathway includes the participants' alcohol use and their psychological symptoms, both during adolescence. The participants are inner city African American and Puerto Rican early adolescents followed until young adulthood. They reported their own and their parents' behavior. Structural equation modeling showed that parental alcohol use was related to early adolescent alcohol use, which was associated with late adolescent alcohol use. Late adolescent alcohol use was related to psychological symptoms in late adolescence, which predicted young adult psychological symptoms. Males reported more alcohol use and more psychological symptoms than females in late adolescence and more psychological symptoms in young adulthood. Findings suggest that parents' and adolescents' alcohol use should be a focus in interventions designed to prevent or treat psychological symptoms in late adolescence and young adulthood. (Am J Addict 2010;00:1-9)

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which spiritual orientation was associated with adaptation to therapeutic community treatment. Spiritual orientation was assessed by the Spirituality Self-Rating Scale, a measure consistent with the conceptualization of spirituality typically reflected in Alcoholics Anonymous members' views. Spiritual orientation was positively correlated with acceptance of therapeutic community principles and clinical progress. Further assessment of spirituality related characteristics and their relation to treatment outcomes is important in informing the design of interventions aimed at improving progress in the therapeutic community, particularly those aspects involving the relative value of integrating the 12-Step group approach in therapeutic community programs

The aim of this study was to assess patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol related problems in a sample of lesbian and gay NYC residents. There were no differences between lesbian (n = 93) and gay (n = 90) subgroups with regard to alcohol use and health related variables. The average number of drinking days reported for the previous 30 day period was 6.87 (SD 7.0) and 16% of the sample reported consuming more than 4 drinks per drinking day. Age, educational level, and feelings of excessive restlessness were associated with alcohol use. Although there have been reports of increased rates of alcohol use and alcohol related problems in the lesbian and gay population, this is not reflected in this sample