Supervisors info:
Τζαβέλλας Ηλίας, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Παπαρρηγόπουλος Θωμάς, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Καφετζόπουλος Βασίλειος, Διδάκτωρ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Ψυχοπαθολογικές εκδηλώσεις (αϋπνία, άγχος, κατάθλιψη) και στρατηγικές αντιμετώπισης προβλημάτων σε νοσηλευόμενους για διαταραχή χρήσης αλκοόλ
Translated title:
Psychopathological manifestation (insomnia, anxiety, depression) and coping styles of inpatients with alcohol use disorder
Summary:
Introduction: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a severe mental disorder with high worldwide
prevalence, which is characterized by serious subsequent psychosocial dysfunction and high
rates of comorbidity, especially with affective and anxiety disorders and insomnia. It has been
shown that the way people perceive and cope with stressors affects psychopathological
manifestation, in the sense that particular ways of coping may reduce or maximize stressors’
negative impact on individuals’ mental health.
Aim: The present study aims to investigate the comorbid psychopathology (depression,
anxiety, insomnia) in AUD people hospitalized for detoxification and the impact of coping
styles on the severity of AUD and the comorbid psychopathology.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 38 individuals admitted
to a specialized department for alcohol detoxification of Athens University Psychiatric Clinic
at Eginition Hospital during the period 2020-2021. Severity of Alcohol Dependence
Questionnaire (SADQ) was provided in order to assess severity of AUD, while depressive and
anxiety symptomatology and insomnia were assessed through Beck Depression Inventory
(BDI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS)
respectively. Coping styles were assessed through Albert Einstein College of Medicine –
Coping Style Questionnaire (AECOM-CSQ). Sociodemographic data and psychiatric history
(disorder’s onset, history of hospitalization, typical daily alcohol consumption) were received
from medical records or through semi-structured interview.
Results: Typical daily alcohol consumption and anxiety symptoms were positively related to
severity of AUD (β = .525, p < .001; β = .39, p = .001) and sleep disorders (β = .338, p =
.041; β = .448, p = .004). Age, years of alcohol abuse and anxiety symptoms were predictive
of increase in depressive symptoms (β = .731, p = .001; β = .451, p = .005; β = .297, p =
.024). Due to coping styles, reversal was negatively associated with severity of AUD (β = -
.24, p = .028). Minimization negatively predicted depressive symptoms (β = -.464, p = .001)
and blame (others) positively (β = .437, p = .002). Finally, age and anxiety negatively
predicted replacement ( β = -.321, p = .009; β = -.321, p = .009).
Conclusions: Findings of the present study suggest the impact of coping styles on comorbid
psychiatric symptomatology in AUD individuals, since different coping mechanisms were
associated with different psychopathological profiles. More specifically, it has been shown that
the use of adaptive coping styles was correlated with lower rates of psychopathology, while the
use of maladaptive coping styles with higher rates. Further investigation in the field of coping
in AUD may lead to individually tailored psychotherapeutic implications and interventions,
which may result in better outcome.
Keywords:
Alcohol use disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Coping styles
