Impact of brief relapse prevention intervention in patients with alcohol dependence in Zambia. (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sheikh, Waqas Ahmed; Paul, Ravi; Banda, Humphry; Agath, Kostas; Luty, Jason
• Is Part Of: Journal of substance use. Volume 22:Number 1(2017:Feb.)
• Page Start: 113
• Page End: 117
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: alcohol misuse -- screening -- Zambia -- randomised controlled trial; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Medication abuse -- Periodicals; 362.2905
• DOI: 10.3109/14659891.2015.1090494
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1465-9891

Abstract

Abstract: A randomized control trial is reported of a brief family intervention for alcohol problems (taken from the WHO mental health general action plan) involving 114 alcohol-dependent patients recruited from consecutive admissions at Chainama Hills Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia with 8-week follow-up post-discharge. All 114 consecutive admissions with primary alcohol problems agreed to take part, and follow-up information was obtained for all participants at 8 weeks (refusal rate 0%; follow-up rate 100%). There were 56 participants in the non-intervention group and 58 participants in the intervention group who received a brief family based intervention. (Follow-up was 100% and there were no exclusions or refusals.) The intervention group had an average time to first drink of 51 days (standard deviation = 14), while the non-intervention group had average time to first drink of 10 days (standard deviation = 16). There was a significant difference between the two groups, with the intervention group having a long abstinence period ( t = 14.368; df = 112; p = 0.001). Frequency of alcohol consumption was also assessed using the first three items of the AUDIT questionnaire (maximum range 0–12). The average scores fell from 10.3 (SD = 1.6) to 1.3 (SD = 3.1) in the intervention and 8.9 (SD = 3.9) for the non-intervention group (effect size 1.5; p < 0.001). The WHO mhGAP interview is a highly effective, family-based brief intervention for alcohol problems that could be widely used.