Diana M. Doumas

Daytime Predictors of Evening Alcohol Use: Treatment Implications for Moderate to Heavy Drinkers

Diana M. Doumas — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:28:02 PST

This study examined daytime mood, stress, and drinking-related consequences as predictors of evening alcohol use. Twenty-four moderate to heavy drinkers completed diaries twice daily for 28 days. Results of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses indicated daytime negative mood states predicted higher levels of evening alcohol use, whereas negative drinking-related consequences predicted lower levels of subsequent alcohol use. Clinical implications include emphasizing negative drinking-related consequences in enhancing client motivation to change. Results also support routine assessment of anxiety and depressed mood to help clinicians identify risk factors for drinking and provide intervention strategies targeting negative mood states to improve treatment outcomes.

Adult Attachment, Emotional Distress, and Interpersonal Problems in Alcohol and Drug Dependency Treatment

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:12:23 PST

The present study examined the relationship between adult attachment, emotional distress, and interpersonal problems in a sample of alcohol- and other drug-dependent patients. Results indicated that patients with a Preoccupied or Fearful attachment style were overrepresented in this alcohol and other drug-dependent sample. Further, patients with a Preoccupied or Fearful style reported more interpersonal problems and higher levels of anxiety and depression than patients with a Secure or Dismissing style. Clinical implications include assessing attachment styles in alcohol and other drug-dependent patients to identify patients who may need early intervention strategies targeting emotional and interpersonal problems. These strategies may improve alcohol and other drug dependency treatment outcomes as negative affect is a primary relapse trigger and is associated with attrition from treatment.

Improving Reading Fluency and Comprehension Among Elementary Students: Evaluation of a School Remedial Reading Program

Robin Hausheer et al. — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:12:21 PST

This study examined the effectiveness of a remedial reading program on improving reading fluency and comprehension among elementary school students. Twenty-four students were selected to participate in an eight-month program. Results indicated reading fluency and reading comprehension scores improved significantly across the academic year for both male and female students. Examination of gender differences indicated significantly more males were referred to the program than females. Additionally, examination of the between group effect size indicated reading comprehension scores improved more for males than females. Implications for school counselors are discussed.

Attrition from Alcohol and Drug Outpatient Treatment

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:12:19 PST

This study examined the relationship between treatment attrition, psychological distress, and interpersonal problems in 120 patients participating in an alcohol and drug intensive outpatient program. Results indicated a relationship between attrition from alcohol and drug treatment and psychological distress and interpersonal problems. Specifically, patients who did not complete treatment scored higher on both depression and anxiety than treatment completers. Further, two types of interpersonal problems, Domineering and Vindictive, were positively related to treatment attrition. These findings suggest that routine assessment and early identification of psychological distress and interpersonal problems may minimize attrition from alcohol and drug treatment by helping clinicians identify at risk patients and provide early adjunctive intervention strategies.

The Relationship Between Daily Marital Interaction, Work, and Health-promoting Behaviors in Dual-earner Couples: An Extension of the Work-family Spillover Model

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:12:15 PST

This article examines the spillover and crossover patterns between an individual’s daily work experiences and health-promoting behaviors and daily marital interaction in 49 dual-earner couples. Husbands and wives separately completed daily diaries that included questions about work experiences, health-promoting behaviors, and marital interactions over 42 consecutive days. Pooled time series regression analyses were performed to examine transmission patterns between daily individual experiences and marital interaction. Spillover patterns were demonstrated from both individual experiences to marital interaction the same day and from marital interaction to individual experiences the next day. In general, spouses reported more positive marital interaction on days when they worked less, felt more energetic, ate more, and relaxed more. Spouses also reported working, eating, and relaxing more on days after husbands’ negative marital interaction was reported. Patterns of spillover also differed for husbands and wives, suggesting that wives may be more reactive to their husbands’ experiences and behaviors than vice versa.

Risk Factors for Heavy Drinking and Associated Consequences in College Freshmen: Athletic Status and Adult Attachment

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:12:13 PST

This study examined athletic status and adult attachment as risk factors for high-risk drinking in 249 freshmen. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated attachment avoidance was related positively to high-risk drinking for former high school and collegiate athletes, but related inversely to high-risk drinking for nonathletes. Further, athletes with high attachment avoidance reported the highest levels of heavy drinking and associated consequences. Findings suggest athletes with high attachment avoidance may use drinking as a coping strategy to manage discomfort associated with social situations and this strategy is likely an extension of patterns established in high school. Clinical implications include providing prevention programs for both high school and collegiate athletes, with an emphasis on targeting interpersonal avoidance and discomfort with relationships.

Spillover Patterns in Single-Earner Couples: Work, Self-Care, and the Marital Relationship

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:12:10 PST

The relationship between work and marriage is well documented in dual-earner couples. Work-marital spillover patterns, however, have been understudied in single-earner couples. The current study extends the work-marital spillover literature by examining spillover patterns from individual experiences and self-care behaviors to the marital relationship over a period of 42 days in husband-earner and wife-earner couples. Results of pooled time-series regression analyses indicated individual experiences and self-care behaviors predicted marital processes for both employment groups. For self-care behaviors, however, different patterns emerged for employed and unemployed spouses. Results identify an important connection between energy depletion and marital processes, and highlight the role of a spouse’s own and the partner’s self-care behaviors, particularly for the employed spouse in single-earner couples.

Evaluation of Web-Based and Counselor-Delivered Feedback Interventions for Mandated College Students

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:12:08 PST

This study evaluated the efficacy of 2 brief personalized feedback interventions aimed at reducing drinking among mandated college students. Results indicated significant reductions in drinking for students in both conditions. Findings provide support for web-based interventions for mandated college students.

Reducing Alcohol Use in First-Year University Students: Evaluation of a Web-Based Personalized Feedback Program

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:01:42 PDT

The efficacy of a Web-based personalization feedback program--electronic CHECKUP TO GO (e-CHUG), aimed at reducing heavy drinking in 1st-year university students--is evaluated. Results indicated that high-risk students in the e-CHUG group reported significantly greater reductions in weekly drinking quantity, frequency of drinking to intoxication, and occurrence of alcohol-related problems. Recommendations for integrating Web-based alcohol programs into a comprehensive prevention program are discussed.

Decreasing Heavy Drinking in First-Year Students: Evaluation of a Web-Based Personalized Feedback Program Administered During Orientation

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Fri, 27 May 2011 13:59:21 PDT

High-Risk Drinking in College Athletes and Nonathletes Across the Academic Year

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:40:33 PDT

This study compared heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences between freshman student-athletes (n = 137) and nonathletes (n = 318). Differences in high-risk drinking between the fall and spring terms were also examined. Results indicated that student-athletes reported heavier drinking and higher levels of alcohol-related consequences than did nonathletes. In addition. student-athletes reported the highest levels of drinking and alcohol-related consequences in the spring term. Implications for college counseling prevention programming are discussed.

Reducing High-Risk Drinking in Mandated College Students: Evaluation of Two Personalized Normative Feedback Interventions

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:40:31 PDT

This study evaluated the efficacy of two brief personalized normative feedback interventions aimed at reducing heavy drinking among mandated college students (N = 135). Students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: web-based assessment with self-guided personalized normative feedback (SWF) or web-based assessment with counselor-guided personalized normative feedback (CWF). Results indicated students in the CWF condition reported significantly greater reductions in weekly drinking quantity and binge drinking frequency than those in the SWF group at follow-up (M = 8 months). Students in the CWF group also reported significantly greater reductions in estimates of peer drinking from baseline to the follow-up assessment than students in the SWF group. Additionally, changes in estimates of peer drinking partially mediated the effect of the intervention on changes in drinking. Results suggest that counselor-guided feedback may be more effective in reducing drinking among mandated students relative to self-guided feedback in the long-term.

Reducing Heavy Drinking Among First Year Intercollegiate Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Web-Based Normative Feedback

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:14:29 PDT

This study evaluated the efficacy of a web-based personalized normative feedback program targeting heavy drinking in first year intercollegiate athletes. The program was offered through the Athletic Department first year seminar at a NCAA Division I university. Athletes were randomly assigned to either a web-based feedback group or a comparison condition. Results indicated high-risk athletes receiving the intervention reported significantly greater reductions in heavy drinking than those in the comparison group. Additionally, intervention effects were mediated by changes in perceptions of peer drinking. Findings support the use of web-based normative feedback for reducing heavy drinking in first year intercollegiate athletes.

Adult Attachment as a Risk Factor for Intimate Partner Violence: The “Mispairing” of Partners’ Attachment Styles

Diane Doumas et al. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:04:14 PST

This study examined the relationship between intimate partner violence and adult attachment in a sample of 70 couples. The attachment style of each partner and the interaction of the partners’ attachment styles were examined as predictors of intimate partner violence. Additional analyses were conducted to examine violence reciprocity and to explore differences in the relationship between attachment and violence using continuous and dichotomous violence measures. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated the “mispairing” of an avoidant male partner with an anxious female partner was associated with both male and female violence. When controlling for partner violence, the relationship between attachment and violence was significant for males only. In addition, analyses using a dichotomized violence variable produced different results from analyses using a continuous violence measure. Clinical implications include focusing on the discrepancy between partners’ needs for intimacy and distance within the couple as a strategy for treating intimate partner violence

Reducing Heavy Drinking in Intercollegiate Athletes: Evaluation of a Web-Based Personalized Feedback Program

Diana Doumas et al. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:13:45 PDT

This study evaluated the efficacy of a Web-based personalized feedback program aimed at reducing drinking in freshman intercollegiate athletes. The program was offered through the Athletic Department freshman seminar at a NCAA Division I university. Seminar sections were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: Web-based personalized feedback (WPF) or Web-based education (WE). Assessment measures were completed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months. Athletes were classified as high-risk or low-risk drinkers based on baseline reports of binge drinking. Results indicated for high-risk athletes, students in the WPF condition reported significantly greater reductions in drinking and changes in beliefs about peer drinking than those in the WE condition. In addition, reductions in drinking were related to reductions in peer drinking estimates for athletes in the WPF group. Findings provide initial support for the efficacy of Web-based personalized feedback for reducing the quantity and frequency of heavy drinking in freshman intercollegiate athletes.

Prevention of High-Risk Drinking in Youth in the Workplace: A Brief Computerized Intervention

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:15:55 PDT

Introduction: Research demonstrates the efficacy of brief interventions based on social norming and motivational enhancement models for college students. These interventions, however, have not been applied to youth in the workplace. The aim of this study is to bridge this gap by evaluating the efficacy of a brief computerized intervention program aimed at decreasing high-risk drinking for youth in the workplace.

Methods: To date, 61 young employees recruited from worksites have completed baseline and 30-day follow-up sessions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) computerized intervention (CI; N = 27), or 2) control group (N = 34). All participants completed validated questionnaires on drinking variables and perceptions of peer drinking at baseline and follow-up. The CI group completed a 10-minute online intervention immediately followed by individualized graphic feedback describing drinking patterns and risk status in relation to peer norms.

Results: Paired t-tests were conducted to assess changes in drinking variables and perception of peers' drinking in the two study groups. For the CI group, results indicated a decrease from baseline to follow-up for drinking-related consequences, t (1,26) = 2.15, p < .05, and perception of frequency of peer drunkenness, t (1,26) = 3.53, p < .01. There were no differences from baseline to follow-up for the control group.

Conclusions: Results of this study provide evidence for the effectiveness of a brief computerized intervention targeting high-risk drinking for youth in the workplace. Results also indicate the alteration of normative perceptions may be the mechanism of change.

(Invited talk for a symposium titled The Design, Use, and Effectiveness of an Interactive Web Site For Addressing Workplace Substance Abuse, Mental Health, and Health Issues.)

Web-based Alcohol Interventions for Mandated College Students

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:44:50 PDT

An Examination of Intimate Partner Violence, Attachment, and Violence Reciprocity

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:34:30 PDT

Preventing High-Risk Drinking in Youth in the Workplace: A Web-Based Normative Feedback Program

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:48:15 PDT

This study evaluated the efficacy of an alcohol web-based personalized feedback program delivered in the workplace to young adults. Participants (N = 124) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: web-based feedback (WI), web-based feedback plus a 15-minute motivational interviewing session (MI), or a control group. Results indicated participants in the intervention group (WI and MI conditions combined) reported significantly lower levels of drinking than those in the control group at a 30-day follow-up. This was particularly true for participants classified as high-risk drinkers at the baseline assessment. Similar results were found when comparing the WI condition to the control group. No differences were found between the WI and MI conditions, indicating the addition of a 15-minute motivational interviewing session did not increase the efficacy of the web-based feedback program. Findings support the use of web-based feedback as a stand-alone alcohol prevention program for young adults in the workplace.

Evaluation of Two Web-Based Alcohol Interventions for Mandated College Students

Diana M. Doumas et al. — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:48:14 PDT

This study evaluated the efficacy of two web-based interventions aimed at reducing heavy drinking in mandated college students. Mandated students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: web-based personalized normative feedback (WPNF) or web-based education (WE). As predicted, results indicated mandated students in the WPNF condition reported significantly greater reductions in weekly drinking quantity, peak alcohol consumption, and frequency of drinking to intoxication than students in the WE condition at a 30-day follow-up. Although not statistically significant, there was a similar trend for changes in alcohol-related problems. Mandated students in the WPNF group also reported significantly greater reductions in estimates of peer drinking from baseline to the follow-up assessment than students in the WE group. Additionally, changes in estimates of peer drinking mediated the effect of the intervention on changes in drinking. Findings provide support for providing web-based personalized normative feedback as an intervention program for mandated college students.