The potential negative impact of cognitive impairment on the treatment of recently detoxified alcoholic inpatients has received increasing research attention. The usefulness of the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (NCSE) (Kiernan, Mueller, Langston, & VanDyke, 1987) for cognitive assessment of alcohol dependent inpatients was investigated. The NCSE, a brief test that uses a differentiated approach to assess various aspects of cognitive functioning, was developed to overcome weaknesses of other brief instruments. Characteristics of the NCSE, and research conducted to date on its effectiveness, are discussed. / Subjects were 120 alcohol dependent adults admitted to an inpatient substance abuse treatment program at a Veteran's Affairs Medical Center. The sample was comprised of 111 males and 9 females, from 23 to 72 years old, with 6 to 19 years of education, and a mean Full Scale IQ of 93.6. Canonical correlation analysis was used to compare subjects' NCSE test results to results from an assessment battery of more traditional cognitive tests. Two additional canonical correlation analyses analyzed the relationship of other variables to NCSE performance including: age; years of education; Full Scale IQ; length of abstinence; severity of addiction; and alcohol abuse only vs. polysubstance abuse. / A significant canonical correlation was found between the NCSE and an assessment battery comprised of the Denman Paired Associate Learning Test, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test $(R=.70,\ F(32,399)=3.23,\ p<.001).$ A significant canonical correlation was also found between Full Scale IQ, age, and NCSE performance $(R=.72,\ F(24,316)=4.91,\ p<.001),$ while years of education did not significantly correlate with NCSE results. Severity of addiction, length of abstinence, and use of alcohol alone vs. with other substances were not significantly correlated with NCSE performance. Two ancillary Chi-Square analyses did not find significant relationships between NCSE performance and either a diagnosis of Depression or prescribed psychotropic medication at the time of testing. / Recommendations for using the NCSE to assess alcohol dependent inpatients are made, in addition to suggestions for adjusting treatment programs for cognitively impaired individuals. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-02, Section: B, page: 1448. / Major Professor: Charles H. Madsen. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77662 |
| Contributors | Maier, Patricia Lane., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 98 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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