Importance of alcohol related expectations and emotional expressivity for prediction of motivation to refuse alcohol in alcohol dependent patients

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of alcohol dependent patients’ emotional expressivity, alcohol-related expectations and socio-demographic factors for prediction of motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. Materials and methods The study sample consisted of 136 alcohol-dependent patients (100 men and 36 women) undergoing treatment in Kaunas center for addictive disorders. Results Only higher expression of negative alcohol-related expectations (std. beta = 0.192, P = 0.023), higher emotional impulse intensity (std. beta = 0.229, P = 0.021) and higher expression of positive emotional expressiveness (std. beta = 0.021, P = 0.020) as well as gender (std. beta = 0.180, P = 0.049), education (std. beta = –0.137, P = 0.038) and alcohol dependency treatment conditions (members of support group after rehabilitation program) (std. beta = 0.288, P = 0.001; std. beta = 0.608, P = 0.001) were significant factors for predicting the different level of alcohol-dependent patients motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. Conclusions Negative alcohol-related expectations, emotional impulse intensity and positive emotional expressiveness were significant even though quite weak triggers for alcohol-dependent patients’ different level of motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. An assumption could be made that by changing these triggers it is possible to change addictive behavior.