Two-year outcome of coping skills training, group support and information for spouses of alcoholics: a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate three different intervention programmes for spouses of alcoholics.


METHODS
39 spouses of alcoholics (36 women and 3 men) with an average age of 47 years (ranging from 23 to 60 years) were randomly assigned to one of the three interventions: Coping Skills Training, Group Support, and Information. Follow-up interviews were conducted 12 and 24 months after completing the programme. Coping Behaviour Scale, Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), Hardship Scale and AUDIT at admission and at follow-up were compared. 38 of the 39 spouses completed the 24-month follow-up examination.


RESULTS
Improvements of coping behaviour, psychiatric symptoms and hardship noted at the 12-month follow-up examination were still evident in all groups at the 24-month follow-up examination. The three groups scored similarly at 24 months on the four scales.


CONCLUSIONS
A post hoc examination of subjects with SCL-90 scores above general population means, showed less improvement in the Information group than the two therapy groups combined (P < 0.05).
Department of Clinical Alcohol Research, Lund University, University Hospital MAS, S-20502 Malmö, Sweden. Helena.hansson@alk.mas.lu.se
Helena
H
Hansson
Ulla
U
Zetterlind
Kirsten
K
Aberg-Orbeck
Mats
M
Berglund
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018454:Spouses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome