title: Enhancing the self-esteem of inpatient alcoholics.
abstract: This study examined the effect of pairing inpatient alcoholics with nursing home residents (NHRs) on the alcoholics' self-esteem. In this PALS program, the alcoholic inpatients assumed a helping-companion relationship with the NHRs for 2 hr per day during their last 2 weeks of treatment. Fifty alcoholic inpatients were randomly assigned to the PALS program (n = 25) or to the library for free reading time (n = 25). The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS) was administered to all subjects in both groups before and after the interventions. Of the nine TSCS scales, the improvement on the Moral-Ethical scale was significantly greater in the PALS group. Because the alcoholic inpatients in the PALS group engaged in altruistic (moral) behavior, this study provides a logical link between the intervention and the outcome, which has been a prevalent weakness in previous studies of self-esteem in alcoholics.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Byers
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Raven
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Robyak
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D000533:Altruism; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D010379:Peer Group; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012649:Self Concept