title: Prediction of drinking outcomes for male alcoholics after 10 to 14 years.
abstract: This study reports on the long-term outcomes of 360 men who were hospitalized for alcoholism during 1980 to 1984 and followed at 12 months and again 10 to 14 years later. At the 10/14-year follow-up, 96 (26.7%) men were confirmed as deceased; 255 (70.8%) men participated in the assessment/interview battery completed during baseline hospitalization. The battery consisted of psychosocial, alcohol-related, and psychiatric measures. Two distinct but highly correlated outcome measures were selected: a clinical rating scale and a factor score. Overall, predictors from baseline and 12-month follow-up included age at intake hospitalization, alcoholism severity, social stability, drinking days, and antisocial personality disorder. Approximately 37% of the assessed survivors were either totally abstinent or drinking nonabusively throughout the 10/14-year follow-up, whereas another 37% continued to drink abusively. Men who abstained or reduced alcohol intake reported better physical health at follow-up than those who continued to drink. Although our findings did not directly link alcoholism to death, they strongly indicate that chronic alcohol abuse may lead to premature death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri 64128, USA.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Landon
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Cantrell
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Penick
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Liskow
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Coddington
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Vance
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002423:Cause of Death; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013695:Temperance; D016896:Treatment Outcome