Chih Chin Chou

Social Tie Characteristics and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Outcomes Among Adults With Serious Mental Illness

Social support has achieved national attention as a key component of the mental health recovery paradigm for persons with serious mental illness (SMI). The aim of this study was to investigate the amount of variance accounted for by four social tie characteristics (social network orientation, emotional support, tangible support, and negative exchange) in three outcomes (mental health recovery, loneliness, and quality of life [QOL]). This study also investigated whether social tie characteristics mediated the link between symptom distress and rehabilitation outcomes. Participants were 101 adults with SMI, living in New York City and Boston. Eight measures were used to assess the above constructs. Bivariate correlations and hierarchical regression were conducted. Social tie characteristics contribute significantly to loneliness and recovery, with the amount of variance accounted for by symptom distress in loneliness and mental health recovery increasing significantly when social tie characteristics were added to the model. Mediator analyses revealed that emotional support and negative social exchange mediate the relationship between symptom distress and loneliness. Tangible support mediates the relationship between symptom distress and recovery. Rehabilitation counselors need to assess and inquire about social tie characteristics. Future researchers should investigate the types of support/nonsupport specific to people with SMI.

Vocational Services as Intervention for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation: Implications for Addiction Studies Education.

ABSTRACT This study examined factors influencing employment outcomes of people with substance-related disorders (SRDs) in state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. The sample included 34,774 VR clients with SRDs from fiscal year 2001. Mean age of participants was 38.35 years. Predictor variables included personal and service variables and the criterion was employment. The chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID) analysis indicated that job placement was the most significant predictor of employment for people with SRDs. Additional variables predicting employment were other services, substantial counseling, restoration services, case expenditures, being married, and work disincentives. The CHAID analysis provided useful information about effective VR services for people with SRDs. Implications for addictive studies education were discussed.

The meaning of social support for persons with serious mental illness.

OBJECTIVE This study sought to better understand the population-specific types of social support relevant to adults living with serious mental illness (SMI). Our study was exploratory and used a qualitative approach that centered on uncovering the types of social support meaningful and relevant to persons with SMI. METHOD The sample comprised of 52 adults receiving county mental health services in the San Francisco Bay Area. Data was gathered from 6 focus groups and analyzed using NVivo10 and Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; Hill et al., 2005; Hill et al., 1997). RESULTS Six qualitative domains were identified: (a) supportive conditions, (b) day-to-day living, (c) illness management, (d) resources and information, (e) guidance and advice, and (f) community participation support. DISCUSSION While the 6 support domains share some broad-based conceptual underpinnings with traditional models of emotional and instrumental support, the domains emerging from our study represent supports uniquely tied to the stressors associated with living with SMI, and therefore hold conceptual distinction from traditional types of support. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS Findings from this study offer a conceptual framework for understanding social support for persons living with SMI and lay the groundwork for the development of a SMI-specific measure of social support. In addition, our research permits future researchers to investigate the conditions under which social support buffers the impact of SMI stressors, assisting service providers in more effective identification of individual support needs for clinical intervention.

Training Needs of Rehabilitation Counselors concerning Alcohol and Other Drugs Abuse Assessment and Treatment.

Forty-two rehabilitation counselors participated in a study regarding perceived training needs concerning alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) treatment and assessment. Participants reported that 85% of consumers with whom they worked had AODA issues, yet over half rated their graduate training in AODA treatment and assessment as poor, and their practices were marginally proficient. Referral to self-help groups and cognitive-behavioral coping skills training were common intervention approaches. A change of curriculum requirements, continuing education opportunities and other professional training websites should be considered as an outlet to improve rehabilitation counselors’ competency to serve consumers with AODA issues.

Responsibility attribution of HIV infection and coping among injection drug users in Malaysia

This study explored responsibility attribution (RA) of HIV/AIDS infection (i.e., how an individual perceives the cause of their HIV/AIDS infection) and its relationship to coping styles among injection drug users (IDUs) with HIV/AIDS. In addition, this study investigated whether self-esteem, social support, and religiosity mediate the relationship between RA and coping styles of IDUs with HIV/AIDS. Participants were 201 adult IDUs with HIV/AIDS participating in the National Drug Rehabilitation Center in Malaysia. Five measures were used to assess the above constructs. Cluster analysis, analysis of variance, and mediation analyses were conducted. Results of this study indicated that IDUs with HIV/AIDS in Malaysia can be classified into four homogenous attribution groups: external, fatalistic, internal, and indeterminate. Mediator analyses revealed that combination of self-esteem, social support, and religiosity mediate the relationship between RA and coping behaviors. Clinicians working with IDUs with HIV/AIDS need to address the role of RA, self-esteem, religiosity, and social support as these psychosocial constructs are linked to coping with HIV/AIDS. Future researchers should investigate whether enhancing self-esteem, social support, and religiosity can promote active problem-solving coping and reduce the use of avoidance coping behaviors.

Perceptions of On-the-Job Supervision Needs of Drug Rehabilitation Center Helpers in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Objective: In this study, 218 national drug rehabilitation center helpers in Malaysia were surveyed regarding perceptions of their on-the-job clinical supervision needs and preferred supervisor roles and emphasis areas in their supervision sessions. Methods: Descriptive analyses were conducted. Results: Findings suggest that drug rehabilitation center helpers in Malaysia expressed high level of on-the-job supervision needs. In addition, professional behavior skills were found to be the most desirable supervisory area followed by process, conceptualization, and personalization skills. Conclusions: Implications for providing clinical supervision for drug rehabilitation center helpers in Malaysia were discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

Self-medication and Illicit Drug Use in the Workplace

Substance use has been observed throughout history and remains an urgent public health concern in many countries. In the United States alone, the cost of alcohol and other drug use is estimated to be greater than

The role of stigma coping and social support in mediating the effect of societal stigma on internalized stigma, mental health recovery, and quality of life among people with serious mental illness

240 billion per year (Martin, 2001). According to Janikowski, Cardoso, and Lee (2005), substance use is defined as experimental or casual consumption in which the individual exercises little control, whereas substance abuse is the maladaptive pattern of substance use, including excessive use, compulsions to use, and continued use despite negative consequences. Excessive and prolonged use of substances may result in addiction. Substance dependence is the compulsive use of a substance accompanied by increasing amounts needed to achieve the desired effect, despite negative consequences. Substance abuse and dependence are major national health crises with wide-ranging consequences (Benshoff & Janikowski, 2000; Janikowski et al., 2005). Substance abuse and addiction dominate the individual’s life, creating problems across the spectrum of physical, psychological, and social functioning (Janikowski et al., 2005). The prevalence rates for illicit drug use, marijuana use, and nonmedical use of a psychotherapeutic drug in the United States are reported to be 8.7, 6.6, and 2.8 % respectively (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2011).