Motivational intervention: an individual counselling vs a group treatment approach for alcohol-dependent in-patients.
OBJECTIVE
The present study aimed to evaluate whether individual counselling for alcohol-dependent patients in three sessions is as effective as a 2-week group treatment programme as part of an in-patient stay in a psychiatric hospital which was to foster motivation to seek further help and to strengthen the motivation to stay sober. Of particular importance was the external validity of the results, i.e. a 'normal' intake load of in-patients in detoxification and a wide variety of motivation to stop drinking were to be investigated.


METHODS
Subjects eligible for the study were all patients with alcohol problems admitted to a psychiatric hospital, but without psychosis, as the main diagnosis, and with a maximum of 10 detoxification treatments in the past. A randomized-controlled trial was conducted with 161 alcohol-dependent in-patients who received three individual counselling sessions on their ward in addition to detoxification treatment and 161 in-patients who received 2 weeks of in-patient treatment and four out-patient group sessions in addition to detoxification. Both interventions followed the principles and strategies of motivational interviewing.


RESULTS
Six months after intervention, group-treatment patients showed a higher rate of participation in self-help groups; however, this difference had disappeared 12 months after treatment. The abstinence rate among the former patients did not differ between the two intervention groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Group treatment may lead to a higher rate of participation in self-help groups, but does not increase the abstinence rate 6 months after treatment.
John
U
U
Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Greifswald, Germany.
Veltrup
C
C
Driessen
M
M
Wetterling
T
T
Dilling
H
H
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D013695:Temperance / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome