title: Brief cognitive behavioral therapy for depression among patients with alcohol dependence in Thailand.
abstract: This study evaluated the short-term efficacy of brief cognitive behavioral therapy for reducing depression among Thai general hospital patients with alcohol dependence. A quasi-experimental design was used with a control group and pretest, posttest, and follow-up assessments. Participants were patients with alcohol dependence and depression who were recruited from district and provincial hospitals in northern Thailand. Eighty (N = 80) eligible participants were purposively selected and enrolled, and then randomly assigned into two groups. One group received three weeks of brief six-session cognitive behavioral therapy as the intervention, and the other group received usual care as their treatment. Data were collected at Week 0 (pretest), Week 3 (posttest), and Week 7 (one month follow-up) and included a nine-item depression scale, with analysis through descriptive statistics and t-test. Findings indicated that the mean depression scores decreased significantly (p < .01) in both the experimental (n = 33) and control groups (n = 27) at the one month follow-up (Week 7). However, only the experimental group showed significant differences in their mean depression scores between pre- and posttest. At Week 7, the experimental group showed significantly lower mean depression scores than the control group (p < .05). In summary, the brief six-session cognitive behavioral therapy intervention yielded promising results and may benefit patients with alcohol dependence and depression who are seen in general hospital settings.
authors.affiliation: Chiang Mai University, Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Darawan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thapinta
authors.forename: Sombat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skulphan
authors.forename: Phunnapa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kittrattanapaiboon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000451:nursing* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000451:nursing* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods*; D013785:Thailand; D016896:Treatment Outcome