Aldana Lichtenberger

Escala de Motivos para Cesar/Reducir el Consumo de Alcohol: propiedades psicométricas

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar las propiedades psicometricas de una escala de motivos para cesar o reducir el consumo de alcohol en jovenes universitarios, en cuanto a dimensionalidad, nivel del item, consistencia interna y validez concurrente. Participaron del estudio 377 estudiantes de psicologia de la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Mediante un cuestionario anonimo y confidencial, se indagaron motivos para cesar o reducir el consumo de alcohol con una escala de 20 items, desarrollados a partir de respuestas cualitativas. Se incluyeron como criterios de validez la cantidad habitual de alcohol consumida y una regla de motivacion al cambio. Se realizaron analisis factoriales exploratorios, confirmatorios, de confiabilidad y bivariados. Los analisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios apuntaron a una estructura de tres dimensiones llamadas: rechazo del alcohol, salud y cambios vitales, y consecuencias severas del consumo de alcohol. Los coeficientes de confiabilidad fueron adecuados. Se encontraron relaciones entre las dos primeras dimensiones y la cantidad de alcohol consumida, y entre la motivacion al cambio y la dimension salud y cambios vitales. Se discute la diferencia entre motivos hipoteticos y reales para el cambio, y el rol de las consecuencias graves del consumo en grupos de mayor ingesta de alcohol.

Psychometric Properties of Brief Screening Tests for Alcohol Use Disorders during Pregnancy in Argentina

Background Considering the physical, mental and behavioral problems related to fetal alcohol exposure, prenatal clinical guides suggest a brief evaluation of alcohol consumption during pregnancy to detect alcohol intake and to adjust interventions, if required. Even if any alcohol use should be considered risky during pregnancy, identifying women with alcohol use disorders is important because they could need a more specific intervention than simple advice to abstain. Most screening tests have been developed and validated in male populations and focused on the long-term consequences of heavy alcohol use, so they might be inappropriate to assess consumption in pregnant women. Objective To analyze the internal reliability and validity of the alcohol screening instruments Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption (AUDIT-C), Tolerance, Worried, Eye-Opener, Amnesia and Cut-Down (TWEAK), Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen - Quantity Frequency (RAPS-QF) and Tolerance, Annoyed, Cut-Down and Eye-Opener (T-ACE) to identify alcohol use disorders in pregnant women. Methods A total of 641 puerperal women were personally interviewed during the 48 hours after delivery. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and the sensitivity and specificity of each instrument using different cut-off points were analyzed. Results All instruments showed areas under the ROC curves above 0.80. Larger areas were found for the TWEAK and the AUDIT. The TWEAK, the T-ACE and the AUDIT-C showed higher sensitivity, while the AUDIT and the RAPS-QF showed higher specificity. Reliability (internal consistency) was low for all instruments, improving when optimal cut-off points were used, especially for the AUDIT, the AUDIT-C and the RAPS-QF. Conclusions In other cultural contexts, studies have concluded that T-ACE and TWEAK are the best instruments to assess pregnant women. In contrast, our results evidenced the low reliability of those instruments and a better performance of the AUDIT in this population.

Razones para reducir el consumo de alcohol en universitarios

espanolLas razones para reducir el consumo de alcohol pueden ser definidas como motivos que llevan a una persona a disminuir el consumo de alcohol o mantener la sobriedad. Este tema suele ser poco estudiado, particularmente en paises latinoamericanos y en poblaciones en riesgo. El objetivo de esta investigacion de diseno secuencial exploratorio fue explorar las razones para cambiar el consumo de alcohol en universitarios que lo hayan modificado (N = 100), de la ciudad de Mar del Plata, Argentina, con una pregunta abierta. A su vez, la descripcion se realizo sobre la base de la experiencia previa de consumo excesivo episodico del alcohol, trastornos por uso de alcohol, y el sexo de los participantes. Los resultados indican que el motivo mas frecuente es el disgusto o indiferencia por la sustancia en casi todos los grupos considerados. Sin embargo, cuando el trastorno por uso de alcohol fue grave o moderado, se observaron diferencias. Se discuten los aportes teoricos de la investigacion, entre ellos, comprender que lleva a cada grupo a cambiar su consumo alcohol, y las implicancias para el desarrollo de intervenciones especificas basadas en esta informacion. EnglishThe reasons to reduce alcohol consumption may be defined as the causes leading a person to decrease alcohol consumption or to stay sober. This topic is not often widely studied, particularly in Latin American countries and at-risk populations. The aim of this sequential exploratory research was to explore, through an open question, the reasons why university students (N = 100) of the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina, changed their alcohol consumption. Additionally, the description was based on previous heavy episodic alcohol consumption, disorders caused by alcohol use, and participants’ gender. The results indicate that almost all studied groups reduced alcohol consumption due to their distaste or indifference for the substance. However, when disorders caused by alcohol use were severe or moderate, differences were observed. The theoretical contributions of this research are discussed, including the understanding of what leads each group to change its alcohol consumption, and the implications for the development of specific interventions based on this information.

Natural recovery from alcohol use disorders in Argentinean university students

Abstract A significant percentage of people with an alcohol-use disorder (AUD) recover on their own and differ substantially from those who do not. Those who do not seek assistance for AUD include a high proportion of university students. The aim of this study was to describe, in a cohort of Argentinean university students, the differences among drinkers who had never had an alcohol-related problem, those who recovered from an AUD on their own (natural recovery), and those who currently had an AUD. Participants were 1170 randomly selected students from the National University of Mar del Plata. They were assessed regarding the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, AUD severity, and sociodemographic variables. Descriptive and multivariate analyses (logistic regressions) were performed. Differences were found primarily in alcohol consumption variables, gender, and age. Natural recovery and current AUD groups drank higher quantities of alcohol and did so more frequently compared with drinkers who had never met any AUD criteria. Students with a current AUD drank higher quantities than did those who were in natural recovery. Students who recovered naturally had less severe AUDs, but many still had an alcohol-related problem. The implications of self-promoted changes in drinking behaviors are discussed.

Construcción de una Escala de Codependencia

La codependencia seria un patron disfuncional de relacionarse con los demas, que se ha descripto en familiares de dependientes de sustancias psicoactivas y de enfermos cronicos, que se caracterizaria por la dependencia emocional, la focalizacion extrema en el otro y el descuido hacia si mismo. Objetivo: presentar resultados del proceso de construccion y validacion de un instrumento para evaluar codependencia. Metodo: Se administro la Escala Argentina de Codependencia a una muestra por conveniencia de 347 sujetos entre 15 y 80 anos, de Mar del Plata. Analisis: se utilizo AFE (metodo de extraccion ejes principales) y se determino el numero de factores con Analisis Paralelo. Se evaluo la consistencia interna mediante Alfa de Cronbach. Se estimaron estadisticos a nivel del item. Resultados: se conservaron tres factores. La consistencia interna de la escala total y de las tres subescalas fue satisfactoria. Los familiares de personas dependientes al alcohol o drogas y de personas con otras enfermedades cronicas presentaron medias significativamente mas altas en sus puntajes de codependencia que las del grupo de poblacion general. The development of a Codependency Scale: Codependency is defined as a dysfunctional pattern of relating to others, present in relatives of those with a substance use disorder or other chronic disease. It is characterized by emotional dependence, extreme focus in the other person, and self-neglect. Aim: to present results of the process of development and validation of a new measure to evaluate codependency. Method: The Argentinean codependency scale was administered to a convenience sample of 347 subjects between 15 and 80 years, in Mar del Plata. AFE was used (main axes extraction method). The number of factors was determined by parallel analysis. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbachs Alpha. Item level statistics were also estimated. Results: Three factors were obtained. The internal consistency of the total scale and the three subscales was satisfactory. Relatives of alcohol or drugs dependents and of people with other chronic diseases had scores significantly higher in the codependency measure than those in the general population group.