title: Predictors of posttreatment drinking outcomes in patients with alcohol dependence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This cohort study examined how predictors of alcohol dependence treatment outcomes work together over time by comparing pretreatment and posttreatment predictors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 274 alcohol-dependent patients was recruited and assessed at baseline, 6 months after treatment initiation (end of the active intervention phase), and 18 months after treatment initiation (end of the 12-month research follow-up phase). At each assessment point, the participants completed a battery of standardized tests [European Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI), Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), Alcohol Timeline Followback (TLFB), Fagerström, and International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE)] that measured symptom severity and consequences; biological markers of alcohol consumption were also tested at each assessment point. A sequential strategy with univariate and multivariate analyses was used to identify how pretreatment and posttreatment predictors influence outcomes up to 1 year after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pretreatment variables had less predictive power than posttreatment ones. OCDS scores and biological markers of alcohol consumption were the most significant variables for the prediction of posttreatment outcomes. Prior pharmacotherapy treatment and relapse prevention interventions were also associated with posttreatment outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings highlight the positive impact of pharmacotherapy during the first 6 months after treatment initiation and of relapse prevention during the first year after treatment and how posttreatment predictors are more important than pretreatment predictors.
authors.affiliation: Addiction Treatment Unit, Department of Psychiatry CHUO, Galician Health System, Ourense, Spain.
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flórez
authors.forename: Pilar A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Saiz
authors.forename: Paz
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García-Portilla
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: De Cos
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dapía
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nogueiras
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bobes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; C554782:gamma-glutamyltransferase, human; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase