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Predictors of engagement in the Alcoholics Anonymous group or to psychotherapy among Brazilian alcoholics

A six-month follow-up study

  • ORIGINAL PAPER
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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To ascertain factors associated with engagement of patients with alcohol dependence in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups and psychotherapy.

Methods

About 300 hospitalized alcoholics were interviewed at hospitalization and again 3 and 6 months thereafter. Assessment included the administration of standardized instruments. Determinants of engagement in both interventions were assessed through logistic regression analysis.

Results

Higher educational level was predictive of engagement in AA after 6 months (OR = 2.19; CI 1.08–4.41). Engagement in psychotherapy after 6 months was related to having a university degree (OR = 3.60; CI 1.6–7.9), to a co-morbid depressive disorder (OR = 3.47; CI 1.8–6.5), to the use of other drugs together with alcohol (OR = 3.08; CI 1.5–6.19), to previous treatment (OR = 2.87; CI 1.29–6.40), and to having a high school degree (OR = 2.44; CI 1.24–4.80). The presence of substance-induced anxiety disorder was associated with non-engagement in psychotherapy (OR = 0.27; CI 0.63–0.003).

Conclusion

The identification of predictors of engagement is important to guide clinicians in the choice of the treatment strategies that are more likely to be successful.

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Acknowledgments

This study has been partly funded by research support agencies (FAPERGS and FAPESP). H. M. T. Barros receives a 1C Research Productivity grant from CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre, R. Sarmento Leite, 245 Centro, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP 90050-170, Brazil

    Mauro Barbosa Terra, Luciana Dias Athayde, Luiz Henrique Palermo, Letícia Piccoli Tergolina & Joana Stela Rovani

  2. Division of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Helena Maria Tannhauser Barros

  3. Department of Preventive Medicine, Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Airton Tetelbom Stein

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Ivan Figueira

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, RS, Brazil

    Dartiu Xavier da Silveira

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  1. Mauro Barbosa Terra
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  2. Helena Maria Tannhauser Barros
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Correspondence to Mauro Barbosa Terra.

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Terra, M.B., Barros, H.M.T., Stein, A.T. et al. Predictors of engagement in the Alcoholics Anonymous group or to psychotherapy among Brazilian alcoholics. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 257, 237–244 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-007-0719-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-007-0719-1

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