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Can brief alcohol interventions in general hospital inpatients improve mental and general health over 2 years? Results from a randomized controlled trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 September 2018

Jennis Freyer-Adam*
Affiliation:
Institute for Medical Psychology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Site Greifswald, Germany
Sophie Baumann
Affiliation:
German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Site Greifswald, Germany Institute of Social Medicine and Prevention, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Katja Haberecht
Affiliation:
German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Site Greifswald, Germany Institute of Social Medicine and Prevention, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
Gallus Bischof
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
Christian Meyer
Affiliation:
German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Site Greifswald, Germany Institute of Social Medicine and Prevention, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
Hans-Jürgen Rumpf
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
Ulrich John
Affiliation:
German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Site Greifswald, Germany Institute of Social Medicine and Prevention, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
Beate Gaertner
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute Berlin, Berlin, Germany
*
Author for correspondence: Jennis Freyer-Adam, E-mail: freyer@uni-greifswald.de

Abstract

Background

Little is known about the impact of brief alcohol interventions on mental and general health. The aim was to investigate whether brief interventions for general hospital inpatients with at-risk drinking can improve mental and general health over 2 years; and whether effects are dependent on how they are delivered: in-person or through computer-generated feedback letters (CO).

Methods

Three-arm randomized controlled trial with 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-ups. Data were collected on 13 general hospital wards from four medical departments (internal medicine, surgical medicine, trauma surgery, and ear-nose-throat) of one university hospital in northeastern rural Germany. A consecutive sample of 961 18- to 64-year-old general hospital inpatients with at-risk alcohol use was recruited through systematic screening. Inpatients with particularly severe alcohol problems were excluded. Participants were allocated to: in-person counseling (PE), CO, and assessment only (AO). PE and CO included three contacts: on the ward, 1, and 3 months later. Mental and general health were assessed using the five-item mental health inventory (0–100) and a one-item general health measure (0, poor – 4, excellent).

Results

Latent growth models including all participants revealed: after 24 months and in contrast to AO, mental and general health were improved in PE (change in mean difference, ΔMmental = 5.13, p = 0.002, Cohen's d = 0.51; ΔMgeneral = 0.20, p = 0.005, d = 0.71) and CO (ΔMmental = 6.98, p < 0.001, d = 0.69; ΔMgeneral = 0.24, p = 0.001, d = 0.86). PE and CO did not differ significantly.

Conclusions

Beyond drinking reduction, PE and CO can improve general hospital inpatients’ self-reported mental and general health over 2 years.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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