title: Interpersonal problem-solving in male and female alcoholics.
abstract: This study compared the performance of alcoholics (18 male, 16 female) with community controls (15 male, 12 female) on the Adaptive Skills Battery (ASB), a test of interpersonal problem-solving. The ASB consists of 30 situations. Fifteen situations require subjects' typical responses and 15, their optimal responses. Male and female alcoholics were inferior to controls in their typical responses [F(1,57) = 45.22, p = 0.0001], but did not differ on the optimal responses (F less than 1). Further analyses indicated that decreased feelings of self-efficacy could not account for the alcoholic deficit. Females were superior to males in the optimal response condition [(F(1,56) = 9.90, p = 0.003]. No significant group x sex interactions were obtained. Performance on the ASB was not correlated with performance on traditional measures of problem-solving. Post-hoc correlational analyses revealed differential patterns between depression scores and performance for alcoholics and controls. These data suggest that (1) female and male alcoholics exhibit similar interpersonal problem-solving deficits, (2) alcoholic self-efficacy expectancies cannot account for the impairment, (3) the ASB appears to assess aspects of problem-solving not typically examined, and (4) the role of depression in alcoholic performance deserves continued empirical evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma Center for Alcohol and Drug Related Studies, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City 73104.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Nixon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tivis
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Parsons
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010556:Personality Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000187:drug effects*; D012649:Self Concept