Relationship between Alcohol Dependence and Depression of Alcohol Dependent Inpatients

The purpose of this study was to provide essential data for treatment by analyzing the characteristics of patients with alcohol dependence and the relationship between depression and alcohol dependence. The subjects were 58 patients with alcohol dependence aged 20–70 in a psychiatric hospital. The Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used as assessment tools. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 21.0: a one-way ANOVA was conducted to examine differences in alcohol dependence contingent on the degree of depression and a Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the relationship between depression and alcohol dependence. According to the study results, the majority of participants were in their 40s or younger; 35 participants (60.3%) were high school graduates and 19 participants (32.8%) earned more than 2 million won and less than 4 million won. There were significant positive correlation between depression and alcohol dependence (r=.283, p= .031). Alcohol dependence was significantly higher as the degree of depression increased: normal (16.67±13.99), mild depression (18.40 ±11.55), moderate depression (28.00 ± 17.74) (F= 3.99, p= .024). In conclusion, those with severe depression were highly dependent on alcohol and intervention for depression should be incorporated into future treatment for more effective alcohol disease management.