Luciana Dias Athayde

Internal consistency and factor structure of the Portuguese version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale among alcoholic patients

OBJECTIVE Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale is an instrument used to evaluate the severity of social phobia. It has been widely used in different contexts and cultures, presenting variable psychometric properties. The objective of this article is to investigate the internal consistency and the factor structure of this scale. METHOD In a sample of 300 alcoholic patients hospitalized in 3 mental clinics in Southern Brazil, 74 of them were social phobics (24.6%). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-Axis I Disorders - Patient Edition, a semi-structured clinical interview based on DSM-IV, was used to check for the diagnosis of social phobia. The internal consistency was measured by Cronbachs alpha. Data were subjected to a factor analysis with the principal component method of parameter estimation. Questionnaire items loading at 0.35 or above were considered in the final factor solution. RESULTS The coefficient of internal consistency was 0.95. All items showed corrected item-total correlation coefficient above 0.15, considered the minimum requested index. The factor analysis resulted in 5 dimensions which corresponded to 52.9% of the total variance. The five factors extracted were: factor I - speaking in a group, factor II - activity in public, factor III - social interaction with unknown person, factor IV - attitude of disagreement or disapproval and factor V - social interaction in leisure activity. CONCLUSIONS The scale proved to be reliable and structurally valid instrument for use in a population of alcoholic patients. The possibility of screening for social phobia through the use of the instrument may be helpful in identifying probable cases of the disorder among alcoholics.

Do alcoholics anonymous groups really work? Factors of adherence in a Brazilian sample of hospitalized alcohol dependents

This study was designed to determine factors affecting adherence to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups. This cohort involved 300 alcoholics committed to three hospitals in Porto Alegre, Brazil. They were interviewed again in their homes after six months. The SCID-I and a questionnaire focusing on patient relationship with AA groups were used. The responses obtained through the questionnaire were independently evaluated by two researchers. AA adherence was below 20%. The main factors reported by patients as reasons for non-adherence to AA were relapse, lack of identification with the method, lack of need, and lack of credibility. The factors reported by patients as reasons for adherence were identification with the method and a way to avoid relapse. Although AA is considered an effective intervention for alcoholism, its adherence rate was excessively low. The identification of these nonadherence factors could help health professionals in referring certain alcoholic patients to therapeutic interventions other than AA.

Predictors of Relapse in 300 Brazilian Alcoholic Patients: A 6-Month Follow-Up Study

Three hundred alcoholic patients were interviewed at hospitalization and again 3 and 6 months thereafter in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from March 2002 to January 2004. Assessment included the SCID-I to check for the presence of Axis I mental disorders, a questionnaire focusing on patient relationship with AA groups, and specific questions about participation in psychotherapy. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predictive variables for relapse or abstinence 6 months after discharge. Previous treatment for alcohol dependence (OR = 3.65; CI: 1.77–7.05) and being single (OR = 2.39; CI: 1.06–5.42) proved to be associated with relapse, whereas adherence to AA (OR = 0.31; CI: 0.15–0.66), presence of a comorbid depressive disorder (OR = 0.46; CI: 0.23–0.92), and probably adherence to psychotherapy (OR = 0.52; CI: 0.26–1.04) could be associated with abstinence. These findings reinforce the importance of psychotherapy and AA groups for alcoholics to remain abstinent for longer. The greater adherence to treatment observed among depressive alcohol dependents can be explained by the fact that this is a comorbid condition that acts as a protective factor against relapse.

Fobia social e transtorno de pânico: relação temporal com dependência de substâncias psicoativas

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study is: 1) to determine the prevalence of panic disorder and social phobia in patients hospitalized due to the use of psychoactive substances; 2) to determine the temporal relation between the beginning of these anxiety disorders and the beginning of the use of psychoactive substances. METHODS: The psychiatric diagnoses were made by means of semi-structured clinical interviews (SCID-I), based on DSM-IV criteria. A questionnaire was developed by the authors for the purpose of studying the temporal relation between the beginning of the disorder due to psychoactive substances and the beginning of panic disorder and social phobia. RESULTS: Only 1 (2 %) patient had panic disorder before using psychoactive substances. Most of the patients suffering from panic disorder fulfilled the criteria for the diagnosis of anxiety disorder induced by use of the substance: 11 (22.9 %) of them had panic attacks only while under the effect of drugs or during the withdrawal syndrome, i.e., secondarily to the use of drugs. Sixteen (33.3 %) of the patients had social phobia, and in all of them, the social phobia began before the use of psychoactive substances. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirmed the high frequency of social phobia in psychoactive substance-dependent patients and they reinforce the self-medication hypothesis in this comorbidity, since that kind of phobia tends to precede the use of drugs. As for panic disorder, in our sample it appears to derive from a complication of the use of psychoactive substances.

Internal consistency and factor structure of the adherence scale for alcoholics anonymous

The objective of the article was to estimate the internal consistency and factor structure of the Adherence Scale for Alcoholics Anonymous Groups. The scale was applied to 257 alcoholic patients who had been admitted for treatment in 3 hospitals in Porto Alegre, about 6 months earlier. The scale was produced based on an adaptation of the Drug Attitude Inventory Scale. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach alpha. Data were subjected to a principal component analysis. The coefficient of internal consistency was 0.71. All items showed corrected item-total correlation coefficients above 0.29. Questionnaire items with factor loading of 0.57 or above were considered in the final factor solution. The factor analysis resulted in 2 dimensions which corresponded to 67.01% of the total variance. This scale appears to be a valid instrument for use in a population of alcoholic patients.

Fobia Social y trastorno de pánico: relación temporaria con dependencia de sustancias psicoactivas

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study is: 1) to determine the prevalence of panic disorder and social phobia in patients hospitalized due to the use of psychoactive substances; 2) to determine the temporal relation between the beginning of these anxiety disorders and the beginning of the use of psychoactive substances. METHODS: The psychiatric diagnoses were made by means of semi-structured clinical interviews (SCID-I), based on DSM-IV criteria. A questionnaire was developed by the authors for the purpose of studying the temporal relation between the beginning of the disorder due to psychoactive substances and the beginning of panic disorder and social phobia. RESULTS: Only 1 (2 %) patient had panic disorder before using psychoactive substances. Most of the patients suffering from panic disorder fulfilled the criteria for the diagnosis of anxiety disorder induced by use of the substance: 11 (22.9 %) of them had panic attacks only while under the effect of drugs or during the withdrawal syndrome, i.e., secondarily to the use of drugs. Sixteen (33.3 %) of the patients had social phobia, and in all of them, the social phobia began before the use of psychoactive substances. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirmed the high frequency of social phobia in psychoactive substance-dependent patients and they reinforce the self-medication hypothesis in this comorbidity, since that kind of phobia tends to precede the use of drugs. As for panic disorder, in our sample it appears to derive from a complication of the use of psychoactive substances.

Social phobia and panic disorder: temporal relation with psychoactive substance dependence

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study is: 1) to determine the prevalence of panic disorder and social phobia in patients hospitalized due to the use of psychoactive substances; 2) to determine the temporal relation between the beginning of these anxiety disorders and the beginning of the use of psychoactive substances. METHODS: The psychiatric diagnoses were made by means of semi-structured clinical interviews (SCID-I), based on DSM-IV criteria. A questionnaire was developed by the authors for the purpose of studying the temporal relation between the beginning of the disorder due to psychoactive substances and the beginning of panic disorder and social phobia. RESULTS: Only 1 (2 %) patient had panic disorder before using psychoactive substances. Most of the patients suffering from panic disorder fulfilled the criteria for the diagnosis of anxiety disorder induced by use of the substance: 11 (22.9 %) of them had panic attacks only while under the effect of drugs or during the withdrawal syndrome, i.e., secondarily to the use of drugs. Sixteen (33.3 %) of the patients had social phobia, and in all of them, the social phobia began before the use of psychoactive substances. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirmed the high frequency of social phobia in psychoactive substance-dependent patients and they reinforce the self-medication hypothesis in this comorbidity, since that kind of phobia tends to precede the use of drugs. As for panic disorder, in our sample it appears to derive from a complication of the use of psychoactive substances.