Social problem-solving in dual diagnosis patients

Abstract

Social problem-solving skills among dual-diagnosis patients were compared to two control groups: psychiatric patients without substance abuse problems and community volunteers. A standardized, behavioral role-play test consisting of four scenarios representing interpersonal problems yielded two reliable dependent variables: (a) specificity, or elaboration, of the problem-solving response and (b) overall effectiveness of the response. Analyses of covariance (using a measure of intellectual function as the covariate) indicated that both dual-diagnosis patients and psychiatric controls were significantly poorer problem-solvers than were community controls. The overall pattern of the results indicated that deficits observed in a dual-diagnosis sample are not necessarily compounded due to the presence of the coexisting disorders. Implications of these findings, strengths and limitations of this study, and suggestions for future research are discussed.