Detecting Changes in Quality of Life and Psychiatric Symptomatology Following an In-patient Detoxification Programme for Alcohol-dependent Individuals: the Use of WHOQOL-100

The present study examines quality of life (QoL) and psychiatric symptomatology prior to and upon completion of a 5-week in-patient detoxification programme with the aim to identify any changes produced following clinical intervention. A group of 46 alcohol-dependent individuals, who were consecutively admitted for detoxification in the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Athens, were clinically-assessed at admission and just before discharge with DSM-IV, CIDI-WHO and with the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales (HDRS, HARS) and the Global Assessment Scale (GAS) for depression, anxiety and overall functioning, respectively. In addition, the patients were invited to complete the World Health Organization Quality of Life WHOQOL-100 instrument. Differences between admission and discharge scores were examined using related sample t-tests. Correlations between the WHOQOL-100 scores and clinically-assessed symptomatology measures were performed. Regression analysis was conducted to investigate the correlation of clinical and socio-demographic variables with patient overall QoL. The results indicate that QoL scores increased at discharge in 16 out of the 24 WHOQOL-100 facets. In addition, patient- assessed status of health was significantly improved. Improvement was also observed in the symptomatology scales rated by the clinician, providing evidence for lower levels of depression, anxiety and a higher level of functioning. Moderate correlations were found between WHOQOL-100 domains and psychiatric symptomatology scales. Significant WHOQOL-100 gains at discharge and clinically-assessed improvement in the HDRS, HARS and GAS, provide evidence of the WHOQOL- 100 instrument's sensitivity to changes in clinical condition. The WHOQOL-100 measurement may be suitable for detecting QoL deficits or therapeutic gains in alcohol- dependent patients and may prove useful to mental health professionals for treatment planning. Alcohol abuse/dependence is a serious clinical condition, signifying a major impairment in the dependent individual's quality of life (QoL) in conjunction with the severity of alcohol misuse (1). As indicated by accumulated research evidence and clinical observation, alcohol dependence is characterised by a high degree of deterioration in physical health, psychological well-being and social life (2-4). It is