Keith Klostermann

Coping behavior and depressive symptoms in adult children of alcoholics.

This paper examined whether adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) would report more depressive mood symptoms as compared to non-ACOAs, whether coping behaviors differed as a function of ACOA status, and whether specific coping behaviors were related to depressive mood symptoms in ACOAs. Participants were 136 college students categorized as ACOAs and 436 college students categorized as non-ACOAs as determined by scores on the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST; J.W.Jones, The children of alcoholics screening test: test manual. Chicago: Camelot). As compared to non-ACOAs, ACOAs reported significantly more symptoms of depressive mood as measured by the Profile of Mood States (POMS; McNair, Lorr, and Droppleman, POMS manual: profile of mood states. San Diego, CA: Edits). On the COPE Inventory (Carver, Scheier, and Weintraub, Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56:267–283), ACOAs reported higher use of the following coping strategies: Behavior Disengagement, Denial, Focus on and Venting of Emotions, Humor, and Substance Use. For both the ACOA and non-ACOA groups, the use of Positive Reinterpretation and Growth and the use of Planning were significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms, whereas Mental Disengagement, Focus on and Venting of Emotions, Denial, Behavior Disengagement, Substance Use, and Suppression of Competing Activities were associated with higher depressive mood scores.

The Relationship Between Relapse to Alcohol and Relapse to Violence

The purpose of this investigation was to examine levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) in partner-violent men after leaving alcohol treatment and the interrelationship between relapse to alcohol and re-occurrence of IPV. The primary research question under investigation was whether the time to relapse to violence was related to the male partner’s relapse to drinking after outpatient alcoholism treatment. This investigation also considered the potential moderating effects of female partner drinking and anti-social personality disorder (ASPD) and whether relapse to alcohol is associated with different levels of IPV severity. A survival analysis was conducted to assess the time to relapse to violence after treatment. Findings revealed significant differences indicating those subjects that relapsed to alcohol were much more likely to relapse to physical aggression. For males diagnosed with ASPD, the effect of relapse to drinking was more prominent for nonsevere intimate partner violence. Finally, findings revealed that female alcohol consumption increased the likelihood of victimization by various degrees depending upon her severity of alcohol consumption. Results of this study suggest that when partner-violent men who complete alcoholism treatment relapse to alcohol, they are also likely to relapse to violence.

Behavioral Couples Therapy for Substance Abusers: Where Do We Go From Here?

Behavioral couples therapy (BCT) is an evidence-based family treatment for substance abuse. The results of numerous investigations over the past 30 years indicate that participation in this treatment by married or cohabiting substance-abusing patients, compared with more traditional individual-based interventions, results in greater reductions in substance use, higher levels of relationship satisfaction, greater reductions in partner violence, and more favorable cost outcomes. This review examines the rationale for using BCT, the empirical literature supporting its use, methods used as part of this intervention, and future research directions.

Maternal and paternal alcoholism and depressive mood in college students: parental relationships as mediators of ACOA-depressive mood link.

The present study examined whether suspecting ones mother versus father of alcohol abuse was associated with parent-offspring relationships, and the degree to which parent-child relationships were associated with depressive symptoms. As compared to non-ACOAs (n=288), ACOAs (n=100) reported more negative parent-child relationships (i.e., greater alienation, poorer communication, less trust, greater emotional longing, and more negative attitudes toward the parent) and increased depressive symptoms on the POMS (McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1992). A closer look revealed that suspected maternal alcohol abuse was associated with more negative mother-child relationships, whereas suspected paternal alcohol abuse was associated with more negative father-child relationships. Both maternal alcohol abuse and paternal alcohol abuse predicted depressive symptoms.

Subtypes of alcohol and intimate partner violence: a latent class analysis.

The investigation explored whether subtypes of relapse to violence exist for different levels of intimate partner violence and drinking behavior among men who relapse to both alcohol and violence after alcoholism treatment. Male clients entering an alcoholism treatment program who reported at least one incident of intimate partner violence and their female partners (N = 294) were recruited for participation. Data were analyzed using a latent class analysis of mixture model. Findings revealed that two classes of violence best described the sample of men that relapsed to violence. Class 1 contained males who had perpetrated more days of violence, relapsed to violence faster, more frequently relapsed to alcohol, and had a higher percentage of males identified as meeting diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder compared to those in class 2.

Alcoholism and Intimate Partner Violence: Effects on Children’s Psychosocial Adjustment

It is widely recognized that alcoholism and relationship violence often have serious consequences for adults; however, children living with alcoholic parents are susceptible to the deleterious familial environments these caregivers frequently create. Given the prevalence of IPV among patients entering substance abuse treatment, coupled with the negative familial consequences associated with these types of behavior, this review explores what have been, to this point, two divergent lines of research: (a) the effects of parental alcoholism on children, and (b) the effects of children’s exposure to intimate partner violence. In this article, the interrelationship between alcoholism and IPV is examined, with an emphasis on the developmental impact of these behaviors (individually and together) on children living in the home and offers recommendations for future research directions.

Substance Use and Relationship Functioning: A Parallel Process

The present paper addresses some of the current literature surrounding Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT) as it pertains to couples dealing with substance use.

PTSD and Intimate Partner Violence: Clinical Considerations and Treatment Options

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health concern affecting over 40 million individuals at least once during their lifetime. Among the various negative implications for partners and families are economic, emotional, physical, and social consequences.