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Outcome of treatment for Irish alcoholic women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Eileen M Corrigan ,
Shane Butler  and
Michael J Camasso
Eileen M Corrigan
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, 536 George Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA
Shane Butler
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Michael J Camasso
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, Rutgers University, 536 George Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA
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Abstract

Objective: To assess the outcome of treatment, a cross section of women from seven inpatient centres treating alcoholics were interviewed twice: as they entered treatment (n=114) and one year later (n=74) when they returned to the community.

Method: The patients were interviewed as they began treatment and 65% were traced for interviews one year later. Measures of self esteem, emotional health and drinking patterns are presented over time.

Results: Approximately one half of the women were abstinent when interviewed again and improved emotional health was related to abstinence. Of those who continued to drink many reduced their intake. A logistic regression analysis was applied to the data to explain the results. Among the major findings was the ability of therapists to predict subsequent drinking with a high degree of accuracy.

Conclusions: All of the services have abstinence as their goal. This could be challenged since at follow up only half of the women are abstinent. Controlled drinking may well be a valid objective if abstinence fails or could well be a valid objective for some patients.

Keywords

WomenAlcoholicTreatment outcome.
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , June 1995 , pp. 48 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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