Transcript Document

The Distress Inventory of Partners of
Substance Abusers (DIPSA)
Bentley Hess, M.A. & Nicholas Noviello, Ph.D., California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University
Introduction
Hypotheses
Results
Conclusion
Substance abuse is among one of the most
pressing public health concerns in the United
States, often resulting in considerable negative
consequences not only for those afflicted but also
for their families and relationships. Substance
abuse can greatly contribute to relationship
distress because of different spousal
expectations, values, patterns of social
interaction and behaviors, conflict between
partners about the substance use, and the stress
of living with a substance-using partner. Little
research and attention has been addressed on
the impact of the distress for the partner of the
substance abuser. The present study began the
development of an instrument, the DIPSA
(Distress Inventory for Partners of Substance
Abusers), intended to measure the distress of a
partner of a substance abuser. This instrument
will be beneficial in determining if and in what
context the partner of a substance abuser is
being negatively affected. Through identification
and measuring the distress that the individual is
experiencing as a result of their partners’
substance abuse, proper care and treatment for
the individual can be sought.
1.The DIPSA scale will have satisfactory internal
consistency.
Reliability analyses demonstrated that the DIPSA
had high internal consistency reliability, as
evidenced by a Cronbach’s alpha equal to, or
higher than, .85 ( = .943). Pearson’s
correlations revealed level of distress (as
measured by the DIPSA total score) was not
significantly related to level of distress as
measured by the Impact of Event Scale (IES)
although the relationship was positive, it was
weak (r = .190, n = 80, p = .092). Level of distress (as
measured by the DIPSA total score) was
positively correlated with level of codependency
as measured by the Spann-Fischer
Codependency Scale (r = .588, n = 77, p = .000).
The promising results of this study, along with
the fact that there is not currently a developed
scale to assess distress in the partners of
substance abusers, provide the impetus for the
continuation of the DIPSA development. The
DIPSA has intent for both clinical and research
utility as it can be used to evaluate levels of
distress in mental health settings pertaining to
addiction and family member relationships. It
could also be an important tool for family
therapists by providing important assessment
information. If a score on the DIPSA suggests
that a partner of a substance abuser is in
distress, specific areas for focus of treatment
may be suggested. Clinically, this could provide
baseline information to therapists working in
substance abuse with couples and/or individuals
involved with substance abusers.
.
Statement of Problem
The purpose of the present study was to create
an instrument that measures the level of distress
experienced by the partner of a substance
abuser. Partners of substance abusers can
experience great emotional turmoil in
conjunction with their partner’s addiction.
Spousal substance abuse has been shown to be
the most frequently reported and highest ranked
stressor in a relationship (Mantogomery &
Jahnson, 1991). Addiction results in high rates
of separation and divorces (Crowley, 1998).
Unfortunately, nearly the majority of family
studies of individuals who abused psychoactive
substances ignored the spousal system and
instead focused on the family of origin (e.g.,
parents, siblings, and grandparents) (Abolmagd
et al., 2004). This has resulted in a lack of
research and knowledge on what the partner of
the substance abuser experiences, as well as the
level of distress one encounters during the
relationship.
2. Level of distress (as measured by the DIPSA
total score) will be positively correlated with level
of distress as measured by the Impact of Event
Scale (IES).
3. Level of distress (as measured by the DIPSA
total score) will be positively correlated with level
of codependency as measured by the SpannFischer Codependency Scale.
Participants
106 participants (18 males and 88 females), over
the age of 21, residing within the United States
who had a past or present intimate relationship
with a substance abuser.
Instruments
The instruments utilized in this study included
the Distressed Inventory for Partners of
Substance Abusers (DIPSA), The Impact of Event
Scale (IES) (Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez, 1979),
The Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale (Spann,
Fischer, Crawford, 1991), and a short
demographic questionnaire.
Methods
This study utilized an exploratory, nonexperimental, correlational design. The
participants were recruited using a non-random
sample of convenience. The data was collected
using online self-report questionnaires via Survey
Monkey. A principal components analysis was
conducted on 131 items from the item pool in
creation of the DIPSA for the present study.
Additionally, a Pearson Product-moment
correlation was computed to assess the
relationship between the DIPSA total score and
distress and codependency.
A principal components analysis with varimax
rotation revealed one main component, termed
General Distress, which explained 16% of the
variance (eigenvalue = 21.6) among the items,
and seven additional interpretable components
emerged with eigenvalues ranging from 4.4 to
17.7. These explained an additional 28% of the
variance. The eight components that emerged
were labeled: General Distress; Self Destruction;
Codependency; Family of Origin Abuse;
Awareness or Denial of a Problematic
Relationship; Relationship Dependency;
Relationship Turmoil and Catastrophic Thinking.
Preliminary scales were developed based on the
markers for each of the eight components. The
number of items on each preliminary scale
ranged from two to seven. Cronbach’s alpha
values ranged from .753 to .943.
Scree Plot :
References
Abolmagd, S., Erfan, S.M.F., Wahab, M., & Gawad, T.M.S. (2004) Role of
the spouse in addiction: Is there a contribution. Egyptian Journal of
Psychiatry, 23, 95-102.
Clark, L. & Watson, D (1995). Constructing validity: basic issues in
objective scale development. Psychological Assessment, 7(3), 309-319.
DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and applications (2 nd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Mantogomery P. & Jahnson B. (1991): The stress of marriage to an
alcoholic. Journal of Psychology Mental Health Service, 10, 12-16.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Mardi Horowitz, Ph.D for
his permission to use the Impact of Event Scale
(IES); Judith Fischer, Ph.D. for her permission to
use the Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale; and
Terece Bell, Ph.D. for all of her contribution and
aid in developing the DIPSA.
For more information contact Bentley Hess at
[email protected]