Factor Structure Validation of the Alcohol Dependence Scale in a Heavy Drinking College Sample

Food insecurity results from unreliable access to affordable and nutritious food. Homeless adults are particularly vulnerable to both food insecurity and problematic alcohol use. The current study examined the link between problematic alcohol use and food insecurity among homeless adults. Participants (N = 528; 62.7% men; Mage = 43.6 ± 12.2) were recruited from homeless-serving agencies in Oklahoma City. Problematic alcohol use was measured using the Alcohol Quantity and Frequency Questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire. The latter used DSM-IV diagnostic criteria to assess probable alcohol use dependence/abuse. Heavy drinking was considered >7 drinks (women) and >14 drinks (men) per week. Food insecurity was measured with the USDA Food Security Scale-Short Form. The link between alcohol problems and food insecurity was examined with logistic regression analyses controlling for sex, age, education, income, and months homeless. Overall, 28.4% of the sample had probable alcohol dependence, 25% were heavy drinkers, and 78.4% were food insecure. Probable alcohol dependence and heavy drinking were correlated at 0.53 (p < 0.001). Results indicated that heavy drinking (OR = 2.12, CI.95 = 1.21, 3.73) and probable alcohol dependence/abuse (OR = 2.72, CI.95 = 1.55, 4.77) were each associated with increased odds of food insecurity. Food insecurity and problematic alcohol use are major issues among homeless populations; this study suggests they are associated. Future research is needed to shed light on potential causal mechanisms and on whether alcohol may take precedence over eating or food purchases.

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Comparison of the Alcohol Dependence Scale and Diagnostic Interview Schedule in Homeless Women

Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research ◽

10.1111/j.1530-0277.1997.tb03807.x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 586-595 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sunanta I. Chantarujikapong ◽

Elizabeth M. Smith ◽

Louis W. Fox

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Diagnostic Interview ◽

Homeless Women ◽

Interview Schedule ◽

Diagnostic Interview Schedule ◽

Dependence Scale

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D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) polymorphism is associated with severity of alcohol dependence

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(02)00625-9 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 17-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

J.P. Connor ◽

R.McD. Young ◽

B.R. Lawford ◽

T.L. Ritchie ◽

E.P. Noble

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Dopamine Receptor ◽

Problem Drinking ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

D2 Dopamine Receptor ◽

Drd2 Gene ◽

Allele Status ◽

Alcohol Detoxification ◽

Dependence Scale ◽

Alcohol Dependent

SummaryThe A1 allele of the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) gene has been associated with alcohol dependence. However, the expression of this allele risk on the severity of drinking behavior in patients with alcohol dependence has not been systematically explored. The present study examines the association between DRD2 A1+(A1/A1 and A1/A2 genotypes) and A1– (A2/A2 genotype) allele status and key drinking parameters in alcohol-dependent patients. A sample of Caucasian adults was recruited from an alcohol detoxification unit. A clinical interview and the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS) questionnaire provided data on consumption, dependence, chronology of drinking and prior detoxification. A1+ allele compared to A1– allele patients consumed higher quantities of alcohol, commenced problem drinking at an earlier age, experienced a shorter latency between first introduction to alcohol to the onset of problem drinking and had higher ADS scores. Moreover, A1+ allele patients had more detoxification attempts than their A1– allele counterparts. In sum, alcohol-dependent patients with the DRD2 A1 allele compared to patients without this allele are characterized by greater severity of their disorder across a range of problem drinking indices. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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The Role of Brief Motivational Intervention on Self-Efficacy and Abstinence in a Cohort of Patients with Alcohol Dependence

The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine ◽

10.2190/pm.39.3.g ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 313-323 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Lucia Romo ◽

Yann Le Strat ◽

Caroline Aubry ◽

Sonia Marquez ◽

Karine Houdeyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Motivational Intervention ◽

Prognosis Factor ◽

Brief Motivational Intervention ◽

Motivational Interventions ◽

Alcohol Dependent

Objectives: Brief interventions are effective in reducing heavy drinking in the general population but few studies examined whether it is also effective in alcohol dependent patients, and whether brief intervention increases self-efficacy. Method: One hundred and seven patients with alcohol-dependence were randomized in a controlled trial examining the efficacy of a brief motivational intervention on both self-efficacy level and days of abstinence. Results: We found that brief motivational interventions had no effect on days of abstinence, nor on self-efficacy, but that high self-efficacy was consistently correlated with a longer period of abstinence, at all assessment-points. Conclusion: Self-efficacy appears to be a crucial prognosis factor, and is not influenced by brief motivational interventions. Other types of specific psychotherapy, probably more intensive, may be more efficient in alcohol-dependent patients than motivational interventions.

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Alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence, and related mortality in Italy in 2004: effects of treatment-based interventions on alcohol dependence

10.32920/14669115 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kevin D. Shield ◽

Jürgen Rehm ◽

Gerrit Gmel ◽

Maximilien X. Rehm ◽

Allaman Allamani

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Burden Of Disease ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

International Study ◽

Years Of Life Lost ◽

The European Union ◽

Treatment Coverage ◽

Life Years ◽

Disease Study

Background The tradition of consuming alcohol has long been a part of Italian culture and is responsible for a large health burden. This burden may be reduced with effective interventions, one of the more important of which is treatment for Alcohol Dependence (AD). The aim of this article is to estimate the burden of disease in Italy attributable to alcohol consumption, heavy alcohol consumption, and AD. An additional aim of this paper is to examine the effects of increasing the coverage of treatment for AD on the alcohol-attributable burden of disease. Methods Alcohol-attributable deaths and the effects of treatments for AD were estimated using alcohol-attributable fractions and simulations. Deaths, potential years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability adjusted life years lost were obtained for 2004 for Italy and for the European Union from the Global Burden of Disease study. Alcohol consumption data were obtained from the Global Information System on Alcohol and Health. The prevalences of current drinkers, former drinkers, and lifetime abstainers were obtained from the GENder Alcohol and Culture International Study. The prevalence of AD was obtained from the World Mental Health Survey. Alcohol relative risks were obtained from various meta-analyses. Results 5,320 deaths (1,530 female deaths; 3,790 male deaths) or 5.9% of all deaths (4.9% of all female deaths; 6.3% of all male deaths) of people 15 to 64 years of age were estimated to be alcohol-attributable. Of these deaths, 74.5% (61.3% for females; 79.8% for males) were attributable to heavy drinking, and 26.9% (25.6% for females; 27.5% for males) were attributable to AD. Increasing pharmacological AD treatment coverage to 40% would result in an estimated reduction of 3.3% (50 deaths/year) of all female and 7.6% (287 deaths/year) of all male alcohol-attributable deaths. Conclusions Alcohol was responsible for a large proportion of the burden of disease in Italy in 2004. Increasing treatment coverage for AD in Italy could reduce that country’s alcohol-attributable burden of disease.

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Baclofen in the treatment of alcohol dependence with or without liver disease: multisite, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.2018.13 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 212 (6) ◽

pp. 362-369 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Kirsten C. Morley ◽

Andrew Baillie ◽

Isabel Fraser ◽

Ainsley Furneaux-Bate ◽

Glenys Dore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Randomised Clinical Trial ◽

Effective Treatment Option ◽

Double Blind ◽

Significant Treatment ◽

Double Blind Placebo ◽

Specialist Services

BackgroundThere are no available medications for the management of alcohol dependence for patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD).AimsTo conduct a multisite, double blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial of baclofen in the treatment of alcohol dependence, with or without liver disease (trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01711125).MethodPatients (n= 104) were randomised to placebo, baclofen 30 mg/day or 75 mg/day for 12 weeks. Primary outcomes included survival time to lapse (any drinking), relapse (≥5 drinks per day in men and ≥4 in women), and the composite outcome of drinks per drinking day, number of heavy drinking days, and percentage days abstinent.ResultsThere was a significant effect of baclofen (composite groups) on time to lapse (χ2= 6.44,P<0.05, Cohen'sd= 0.56) and relapse (χ2= 4.62,P<0.05,d= 0.52). A significant treatment effect of baclofen was observed for percentage days abstinent (placebo 43%, baclofen 30 mg 69%, baclofen 75 mg 65%;P<0.05). There was one serious adverse event (overdose) directly related to medication (75 mg).ConclusionsBaclofen may be an effective treatment option for patients with ALD. However, given the profile of adverse events, the role for this medication might be best limited to specialist services.Declaration of interestNone.

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