Patterns of stability and change in mood states of alcoholics in inpatient treatment.

Abstract

This study examines patterns of individual stability and group change in mood states as measured by scores on the six Profile of Mood States (POMS) scales in a sample of inpatient alcoholics. Stability coefficients based on POMS scores from administrations at hospital admission and after 6 weeks of inpatient treatment ranged from a low of .36 for the Vigor-Activity scale to a high of .63 for the Confusion-Bewilderment scale. These stability estimates are comparable to those found in a previous study involving nonalcoholic psychiatric outpatients. The significant mean group changes found between admission and 6 weeks on each of the POMS scales consistently reflect improvement in mood and are generally similar in magnitude to those found previously using the POMS with both inpatient alcoholics and nonselected psychiatric outpatients.