The goal of this study was to determine the
evolution of variables such as quality of life, craving, or psychological adjustment during treatment in a sample of 65 patients with alcohol-dependence disorder, 56.3% of whom also presented a personality disorder (PD).
Five measurements were taken over the course of the treatment, at 3-month intervals. The analysis of tendencies of the variables craving, quality of life, and psychological adjustment assessed at the five assessment points revealed that the cognitive-behavioral treatment influences each one of these variables differently: a quadratic and cubic relation was identified for craving, whereas for quality of life there were linear, quadratic and cubic relationships in its diverse scales depending on the time point in question, and for psychological adjustment there were linear and quadratic relationships.
At the end of treatment, the patients assessed presented significantly higher levels of quality of life than at the beginning, but the results showed that, although the patients with PD had better perceived quality of life at three months, it was lower over the entire course of the treatment compared to patients without PD.
It was also found that quality of life and craving at the start of the treatment predicted alcohol use during the first three months.
The implications of these results are discussed with a view to psychological intervention with alcohol-dependent patients.
Read Full Text (PDF)
