Abstract
Objective: To estimate proportions of alcohol problem drinking: alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and drinking above recommended levels among general hospital inpatients in northeastern Germany. Method: The sample includes consecutively admitted inpatients (n=14,332) between 18 and 64 years old. This study adopted a two-stage-sampling approach including screening and ascertainment of diagnosis based on DSM-IV criteria and a quantity-frequency index. Results: In total, 20.4% of all inpatients screened positive. Nine percent of the total sample were identified with current problem drinking in the following descending order: 5.3% AUD and 3.6% drinking above recommended levels. In addition, 3.1% of persons were diagnosed with alcohol dependence in remission. Proportions differed significantly among men and women (P<.001). Higher proportions of problem drinking were found at rural sites compared to urban sites (13.7% vs. 7.5%, P<.001). Conclusions: In addition to AUDs, drinking above recommended levels is a common problem among general hospital inpatients. Thus, the implementation of systematic alcohol screening and brief interventions should be considered.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | General Hospital Psychiatry |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 147-154 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISSN | 0163-8343 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 03.2008 |
Funding
The study, as part of the Research Collaboration in Early substance use Intervention (EARLINT), has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (01EB0120, 01EB0420) and by the Social Ministry of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (IX 311a 406.68.43.05). The authors wish to thank Karin Paatsch, Dr. Jeannette Riedel, Dr. Barbara Wedler and Katrin Stegemann for implementing the study, the medical and nursing staff of the University Hospital Greifswald, the Hanse Hospital Stralsund, the District Hospitals Demmin and Malchin/Dargun for cooperation with the project, and the patients for their participation.
Research Areas and Centers
- Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)
