Relationships of impulsiveness and depressive symptoms in alcohol dependence.
BACKGROUND
Depressive symptoms as well as high levels of impulsivity are subjects of special interest in alcohol dependence, as these factors are considered to influence the course of this disorder. However, until now mutual relationships between impulsivity and depression have not been investigated thoroughly in alcohol-dependent patients.


METHODS
By means of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and stop-signal task, levels of impulsivity among 304 alcohol-dependent patients were measured. The stop-signal task was used as a manipulation-free method of estimating the level of behavioral impulsiveness, and the BIS-11 is a self report measure of global as well as cognitive impulsivity. Patients were also asked to complete the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hopelessness Scale (BHS). The results were analyzed in order to examine relationships between impulsiveness and depressive symptoms.


RESULTS
Statistical analyses revealed significant associations between impulsiveness and severity of depressive symptoms. Individuals with higher scores on the BDI were more impulsive on the BIS-11, whereas patients with higher scores on the BHS were more impulsive on both the stop-signal task and BIS-11. The strongest correlations were found with the attention impulsivity subscale of BIS-11. Adjusting for other variables, a linear regression analysis revealed that cognitive impulsivity was the strongest predictor of depression severity.


CONCLUSIONS
The main limitation of the study is a not fully representative sample, with exclusion of patients with active mood disorders


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate a strong association between depressive symptoms and impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients, and suggest an important distinction between hopelessness and other depressive symptoms.
Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Andrzej
A
Jakubczyk
Anna
A
Klimkiewicz
Aleksandra
A
Topolewska-Wochowska
Piotr
P
Serafin
Joanna
J
Sadowska-Mazuryk
Julia
J
Pupek-Pyzioł
Kirk J
KJ
Brower
Marcin
M
Wojnar
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult