Exposure to interpersonal violence as a predictor of PTSD symptomatology in domestic violence survivors.

This study examines the interrelationships between childhood abuse, exposure to maternal domestic violence, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in a multiethnic sample of 111 adult female residents of a domestic violence (DV) shelter. Participants completed structured interviews about the DV and their prior violence exposure, as well as the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. As hypothesized, there was high co-occurrence between exposure to maternal DV and childhood physical and sexual abuse, and the frequency of lifetime violence exposure predicted PTSD symptomatology.

The process of coping with domestic violence in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

Research suggests that the use of disengaged or avoidant strategies to cope with interpersonal violence contributes to the development of depressive symptoms and other psychological difficulties. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) who are exposed to subsequent episodes of abuse may be more likely to rely on disengaged coping strategies, placing them at elevated risk of psychological symptomatology. In this study, we explored the interrelationships between coping, depression, and self-esteem in an ethnically diverse sample of domestic violence survivors (N = 219) with and without a history of CSA.

Coping and violence exposure as predictors of psychological functioning in domestic violence survivors.

This study examines the differential effects of adult and childhood physical and psychological abuse, abuse-specific coping, and psychological adjustment in battered women seeking emergency shelter. Multivariate regression analyses confirmed the devastating impact of psychological abuse (childhood and concurrent) on battered women's adjustment. The results corroborated prior research suggesting a cumulative vulnerability to psychological victimization in a substantial proportion of residents.

Managing pain: The Challenge in Underserved Populations: Appropriate Use Versus Abuse and Diversion.

Issue: Inadequate pain management is a serious public health problem that affects a wide cross-section of Americans. Patients are often denied sufficient medication, because physicians lack training and fear scrutiny from federal and state regulatory agencies. In addition, even the state-financed system of care, Medicaid, has been increasingly denying payment for the best treatment for pain management.

Changes in locus-of-control attitudes about drug misuse in a self-help group in a methadone maintenance clinic.

Clients of a methadone-maintenance clinic in Brooklyn, New York participating in a clinically-guided self-help (CGSH) program plus standard treatment (methadone maintenance plus individual counseling) demonstrated statistically significant changes in locus-of-control beliefs, from external to internal causation, about personal responsibility for drug misuse. Members of two control groups--one participating in a didactic lecture program plus standard treatment and the other receiving only standard treatment--failed to demonstrate similar changes. This increase in internal locus of control in the CGSH group suggests the potential efficacy of CGSH as a relapse-prevention therapeutic technique.

Human immunodeficiency virus infection in a cohort of intravenous drug users in New York City. Demographic, behavioral, and clinical features.

In 1985, 454 intravenous drug users were recruited from among patients scheduled for physical examination in methadone treatment clinics in New York City. A questionnaire was administered, and serum was collected for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serology. The HIV seroinfection rate was 60.

Sexual contacts of intravenous drug abusers: implications for the next spread of the AIDS epidemic.

A scarcity of knowledge exists regarding the sexual behavior of intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs) despite their potential role in the heterosexual transmission of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Using a standardized questionnaire of drug and sexual practices, 96 patients enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment in New York City were interviewed anonymously.Over one half of the 767 sexual contacts reported by this sample were non-IVDAs.