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Overall Functioning and Criteria of Progress in Rehabilitation of Alcohol Abusers: Longitudinal Analyses of Changes
Author(s) -
åkerlind Ingemar,
Hörnquist Jan Olof,
Elton Martin,
Bjurulf Per
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1990.tb01828.x
Subject(s) - rehabilitation , psychology , longitudinal study , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , neuroscience , pathology
The aim was to compare alcohol consumption and vocational adjustment as criteria of rehabilitation progress of alcoholics, with regard to links to concomitant changes in functioning in other life areas. Thirty‐four advanced alcohol abusers in rehabilitation were examined twice with an interval of 2 years between each examination. Change scores in alcohol consumption and work capacity were correlated with change scores in social network, activities, life‐satisfaction, psychological well‐being, psychiatric symptoms, and biomedical functioning. Improved drinking habits were connected with some changes in overall functioning, however not solely in a favorable direction. Negative mood changes were especially note‐worthy. Improvements in vocational adjustment, on the other hand, appeared to be somewhat more unequivocally and encompassingly associated with amelioration in the wider range of functioning. The results indicate that drinking measures alone are not sufficient indicators of progress in rehabilitation and underscores the need more global criteria of general adjustment.