title: Reducing dropout among traumatized alcohol patients in detoxification treatment: a pilot intervention study.
abstract: Dropout rates from detoxification treatment are high. We tested whether high trauma event load was related to a higher dropout from alcohol detoxification. Furthermore, we studied the feasibility and effects of a short psychoeducational tool to increase retention among traumatized alcohol in-patients. Retention and treatment length were compared between treatment as usual (TAU) and standard therapy plus a psychoeducational group intervention on alcohol drinking related to stress and trauma (PAST). Patients with high trauma load were identified with the Trauma History Questionnaire. Of the 159 in-patients treated during the study period, 66 were included in the analysis: 33 in TAU and 33 in PAST. Sociodemographic characteristics did not differ between the groups. During TAU, patients with high trauma load tended to drop out more often (p = 0.056). Among patients with high trauma load, retention level increased from 29 to 80% (p = 0.006), and among those with low trauma load from 63 to 83% (p = 0.250). Treatment length only tendentially improved among patients with lower burden (p = 0.056). The pilot study supports the idea that detoxification treatment dropout occurs more often among alcohol patients with high trauma load and that their retention can be increased by a psychoeducational group intervention.
authors.affiliation: University of Konstanz, Clinical Psychology, Germany. michael.odenwald@uni-konstanz.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Odenwald
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Semrau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology