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Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on July 4, 2005
Alcohol and Alcoholism, doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh182
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Medical Council on Alcohol. All rights reserved
Received October 8, 2004
Revised May 18, 2005
Accepted June 10, 2005

Article

INTENTION TO CHANGE DRINKING BEHAVIOUR IN GENERAL PRACTICE PATIENTS WITH PROBLEMATIC DRINKING AND COMORBID DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY

JANINA GROTHUES 1*, GALLUS BISCHOF 1, SUSA REINHARDT 1, ULFERT HAPKE 2, CHRISTIAN MEYER 2, ULRICH JOHN 2, and HANS-JÜRGEN RUMPF 1

1 Medical University of Luebeck, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Research Group S:TEP (Substance Abuse: Treatment, Epidemiology and Prevention), Luebeck, Federal Republic of Germany
2 Ernst-Moritz Arndt University, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Greifswald, Federal Republic of Germany

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
JANINA GROTHUES, E-mail: Janina.Grothues{at}ukl.mu-luebeck.de


  Abstract

Aims: This paper examines the interaction of intention to change drinking behaviour with comorbid depression and anxiety in pro-actively recruited individuals with a range of drinking problems. Methods: Cross-sectional data of 408 general practice (GP) patients aged 18-64 years, who meet the diagnostic criteria of alcohol dependence or abuse according to DSM-IV, criteria of at-risk drinking or binge drinking, were drawn from a brief intervention study. Of the sample, 89 participants were diagnosed with comorbid anxiety and/or depressive disorders. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behaviour change constructs: stages and processes of change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance were assessed in relation to presence and absence of the respective psychiatric disorders. Results: Analysis including all categories of problematic drinking revealed comorbid anxiety and/or depression to be significantly related to later stages of change. Within subgroups, this was only true for alcohol abuse, not for dependence, at-risk or binge drinking. In addition, comorbidity was related to higher use of processes of change and more pros and cons of drinking, when compared to non-comorbid participants. Comorbid individuals showed higher temptation to drink and lower self-efficacy to abstain from drinking. Separate analyses of readiness to change drinking between the categories anxiety/no comorbidity and depression/no comorbidity both obtained significance, while for anxiety disorders, this was more profound. A multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that adverse consequences better predicted readiness to change when compared to comorbidity. Discussion: Individuals with problematic drinking and comorbid anxiety or depression may be well accessible for pro-active intervention to reduce drinking. Strategies should focus on the enhancement of coping skills to control temptation and self-efficacy.


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