Mood Disorders and Severity of Addiction in Alcohol-Dependent Patients Could Be Mediated by Sex Differences.

Raul F Palma-Álvarez,Lara Grau-López,Lara Grau-López,María Robles-Martínez,Laia Rodríguez-Cintas,Alfonso C Abad,Marta Sorribes,Elena Ros-Cucurull,Elena Ros-Cucurull,Laia Rodríguez-Cintas,Lourdes Aguilar,Carlos Roncero

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00343

Abstract

Background: Alcohol dependence is highly prevalent in the general population; some differences in alcohol use and dependence between women and men have been described, including outcomes and ranging from biological to social variables. This study aims to compare the severity of alcohol dependence with clinical and psychopathological characteristics between sexes.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in alcohol-dependent outpatients; the recruitment period was 7 years. The assessment of these patients was carried out by obtaining sociodemographic characteristics and using the Semi-structured Clinical Interview for Axis I and II (SCID-I and SCID-II), European version of the Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scales. Variables were compared and analyzed.Results: The sample was composed of 178 patients (74.2% males and 25.8% females) with a mean age of 46.52 ± 9.86. No sociodemographic differences were found between men and women. Females had a higher rate of suicide attempts and depression symptoms at the treatment onset. When results of EuropASI were compared, females had worse psychological and employment results than males. According to consumption variables, males had an earlier onset of alcohol use, had more regular alcohol use, and develop alcohol dependence earlier than females.Conclusions: According to results, there are sex-dependent differences (severity and other variables such as mood or suicide) in alcohol dependence. Thus, this may implicate the need of future specific research and treatment programs based on the specific necessities of each sex.

Highlights

Alcohol dependence is a worldwide problem highly prevalent and associated with high morbidity and mortality [1,2,3]
This study aims to compare the clinical and psychopathological features and the addiction severity according to sex in Spanish alcohol-dependent patients
It is observed that women present more depressive symptoms at the beginning of the treatment

Summary

Introduction

Alcohol dependence is a worldwide problem highly prevalent and associated with high morbidity and mortality [1,2,3]. In Spain, 5% of the population aged between 15 and 64 years have a risk consumption of alcohol [4]. It is important to highlight that the prevalence of high-risk drinking is higher in men than in women [5], and in Europe, this sex difference is presented, reporting that 5.4% of men are alcohol-dependent as opposed to 1.5% of women [6]. Alcohol consumption among women is increasing and sex differences are becoming increasingly close, especially in the younger groups [7,8,9,10]. Alcohol dependence is highly prevalent in the general population; some differences in alcohol use and dependence between women and men have been described, including outcomes and ranging from biological to social variables. This study aims to compare the severity of alcohol dependence with clinical and psychopathological characteristics between sexes

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion