Authors (including presenting author) :
Tang YK(1), Chow TT(1), Ko TK(1), Law NL(1), Tang YK(1), Lo KC(1), Leung WY(1), Lee KS(1), CHui MCE(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Community Psychiatric Service, Department of Psychiatry, Queen Mary Hospital
(2) Community Psychiatric Team, Department of Psychiatric, Queen Mary Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Alcohol dependence
Keyword 2: :
alcohol consumption
Keyword 3: :
Community Psychiatry
Keyword 4: :
Brief intervention
Introduction :
Alcohol dependence is associated with significant physical, social, and mental health consequences, including elevated risks of depression, anxiety, suicide, and mortality rates. It also imposes a considerable burden on healthcare systems, as evidenced by the high hospitalization rate, and poses challenges in mental health case management. Evidence suggests that Brief intervention in primary care setting reduce long-term alcohol use and related harm, however, the applications on individuals comorbid with mental health conditions remains inconclusive due to heterogeneity in study designs. This study aims to develop and implement a structured brief intervention program for patients co-occurring with depression. The primary objective is to reduce alcohol use, while secondary outcomes include overall well-being, depression and anxiety symptoms.
Objectives :
1.To assess baseline alcohol consumption and dependence levels among client with alcohol dependence by administering the AUDIT assessment 2.To implement a revised Brief Intervention specifically designed for a sample clients with alcohol dependence in a community setting 3.To evaluate the effectiveness of the revised Brief intervention in reducing alcohol-related behaviors and dependency 4.To examine improvement in overall quality of life 5.To analyze client satisfaction and feedback regarding the revised Brief Intervention to identify strengths and areas for improvement
Methodology :
The study applied a pre-test post-test single-group design, a straightforward approach to evaluate the effects of an intervention by comparing validated measurements taken before and after the revised Brief Intervention. The assessment tools included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which screens for alcohol consumption; the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, a brief measure of subjective psychological well-being; the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), which assesses the severity of anxiety symptoms; and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a tool for screening and measuring the severity of depression. Post-intervention assessments were conducted to measure changes across domains. Additionally, feedback questionnaires were provided to gather qualitative insights from participants about their experiences. Convenient sampling was employed in community psychiatric services.
Result & Outcome :
21 patients comorbid with alcohol dependance and depression were recruited and 18 completed 5 sessions. The level of alcohol use has significantly dropped from 24.3 (probable dependence) to 14.3 (increasing risk) (p< 0.05), while the WHO-5 Well-Being Index increased from 10.5 to 16.0 (p< 0.05) indicating well and above average state of well-being. The patient anxiety level decreased from moderate to mild anxiety levels (p< 0.05), dropping by 4.05 points. The PHQ-9 depression score also decreased slightly by 2.6 points (p< 0.05). Participants reported finding the program useful and helpful, which highlights the practical effectiveness of the intervention. The program appears to be effective in reducing alcohol use, improving mental health outcomes, and enhancing overall well-being.
