title: Psychosocial predictors of impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients.
abstract: Impulsivity is an important risk factor of severe course of alcohol dependence. However, the significance of environmental determinants of impulsivity has been underestimated. The aim of this study was to identify psychosocial factors increasing the level of impulsivity in alcoholics. Levels of impulsivity were measured in 304 alcohol-dependent patients. The stop-signal task was used to assess behavioral impulsivity, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, to measure global and cognitive impulsivity. Correlations between impulsivity and psychosocial variables were examined. A significant association between level of impulsivity and severity of psychopathological symptoms was observed. Patients who reported childhood sexual or physical abuse, lower social support, and more severe course of alcohol dependence were more impulsive, especially in the cognitive domain. When entered into a linear regression analysis model, severity of alcohol dependence, psychopathology, and childhood physical abuse remained significant. These results suggest that psychosocial variables are important factors associated with high levels of impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jakubczyk
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klimkiewicz
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mika
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bugaj
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konopa
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Podgórska
authors.forename: Kirk J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Brower
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wojnar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D055815:Young Adult