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[The Denial and Awareness Scale (DAS)].
A Ino1, S Tatsuki, K Nishikawa
1Mental Care Center, Prefecture of Mie, 1-12-1 Shiroyama, Tsu-City, Mie 514-0818, Japan.
Nihon Arukoru Yakubutsu Igakkai Zasshi = Japanese Journal of Alcohol Studies & Drug Dependence
|August 10, 2001
Summary
A new scale, the Denial and Awareness Scale (DAS), helps predict alcoholism treatment success. Patient awareness of alcohol problems boosts abstinence, while family distress hinders it, varying by treatment stage.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Assessing denial and awareness of alcohol problems is crucial for alcoholism treatment.
- Existing measures lack clinical practicality and objectivity for patients and families.
- The Denial and Awareness Scale (DAS) was developed to address this gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the DAS for predicting prognosis and evaluating treatment outcomes in alcoholism.
- To assess the relationship between patient/family denial and awareness and abstinence periods.
- To investigate how different stages of abstinence influence the predictive value of DAS subscales.
Main Methods:
- Development of preliminary DAS-1 patient and family scales.
- Item analysis and stepwise regression using patient and family responses (N=218).
- Construction of DAS-2 based on factor analysis and further regression analysis (N=189).
Main Results:
- Patient's Awareness positively predicted longer abstinence periods.
- "Family Troubled Feelings" negatively impacted abstinence duration.
- Predictive values of DAS-2 subscales varied across different abstinence stages (1-4 years).
Conclusions:
- The DAS-2 is a clinically practical tool for predicting alcoholism treatment outcomes.
- Patient awareness and family perceptions significantly influence abstinence.
- The DAS-2's predictive utility is stage-dependent, offering valuable prognostic insights.