INVESTIGATION OF RISK INDICATORS FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG NURSES (ALCOHOL).
Contributors: University of Pennsylvania.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 163
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Women's Studies.
Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk indicators for substance abuse among nurses that identify populations at risk. Substance abuse was measured by participation in a nurse support group for chemical addiction and/or personal admission to being dependent. This study contrasted the early risk indicators among substance abuse (SA) and non-substance abuse (NSA), professional nurses and explored to what extent the risk factors in combination (Efinger Alcohol Risk Survey (EARS), hassles, self-esteem, sensation-seeking, and number of peer abusers) predicted SA or NSA group membership.

Data were collected from two criterion groups. One group of female nurses (n = 86) had a history of substance abuse. The second criterion group (n = 82) consisted of female, professional nurses selected at random from the total number of New Jersey registrants and who answered "no" to the items in the screening tool for substance abuse (NSAs). The questionnaire, completed by each participant, was based on the theoretical contsruct of stress, early predictors for alcohol abuse and factors supported by research to precede drug abuse.

Data analysis results yielded significantly higher scores (p $<$.001) in the SA group than the NSA group for each of the risk factors (EARS, hassles, self-esteem, sensation- seeking, and number of peer abusers). (Note: For consistency, the scoring of self-esteem was reversed so that a high score indicated low self-esteem.) The regression analysis demonstrated that EARS and self-esteem were the dominant variables and that peers, sensation-seeking and hassles were next in importance. In the discriminant analysis, the canonical correlation of 0.873 indicated a strong relationship between variables and the prediction of group membership. Classification results indicated a correct prediction of SA group membership in 94.2% of the cases and correct NSA group membership in 97.6% of the cases with an overall percent of 95.8% for grouped cases correctly classified. The discriminant analysis results strongly supported the significance of the five variables to determine the difference between the SA and NSA groups.

Identifying populations at risk for substance abuse is an important component of nursing knowledge and a requisite for initiating prevention strategies. This research study made significant predictions for group membership. It represents an important step toward the recognition of populations at risk for substance abuse and provides the opportunity for intervention strategies.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-06, Section: B, page: 2989.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1991.

School code: 0175.