title: Relationship between emotional processing, drinking severity and relapse in adults treated for alcohol dependence in Poland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Growing data reveals deficits in perception, understanding and regulation of emotions in alcohol dependence (AD). The study objective was to explore the relationships between emotional processing, drinking history and relapse in a clinical sample of alcohol-dependent patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of 80 inpatients entering an alcohol treatment program in Warsaw, Poland was recruited and assessed at baseline and follow-up after 12 months. Baseline information about demographics, psychopathological symptoms, personality and severity of alcohol problems was obtained. The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence (EI) Test and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) were utilized for emotional processing assessment. Follow-up information contained data on drinking alcohol during the last month.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline assessment, the duration of alcohol drinking was associated with lower ability to utilize emotions. Patients reporting more difficulties with describing feelings drank more during their last episode of heavy drinking, and had a longer duration of intensive alcohol use. A longer duration of the last episode of heavy drinking was associated with more problems identifying and regulating emotions. Poor utilization of emotions and high severity of depressive symptoms contributed to higher rates of drinking at follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results underline the importance of systematic identification of discrete emotional problems and dynamics related to AD. This knowledge has implications for treatment. Psychotherapeutic interventions to improve emotional skills could be utilized in treatment of alcohol-dependent patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 27 Nowowiejska St, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kopera
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 27 Nowowiejska St, Warsaw, Poland ajakubczyk@wum.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jakubczyk
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suszek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addiction Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 27 Nowowiejska St, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klimkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 27 Nowowiejska St, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wnorowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addiction Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, USA.
authors.forename: Kirk J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Brower
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 27 Nowowiejska St, Warsaw, Poland Department of Psychiatry, Addiction Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, USA.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wojnar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors