A Cross-sectional Study of the Patterns and Impact of Socio-demographic Factors in Anxious and Depressed Alcohol Dependent Patients

Introduction: Socio-demographic factors may play a pivotal role in anxious and depressed alcohol dependent patients. Identifying the patterns and impact of these factors may be important in the successful management of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). Aim: To assess the patterns and impact of socio-demographic factors in anxious and depressed alcohol dependent patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Rama Medical College Hospital and Research Center Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, from August 2018 to January 2020. Patients with history of substance dependence, gross brain damage, severe medical complications, or evidence of drinking during the hospital stay were excluded. Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ) was used to rate the extent of alcohol dependence and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D or HDRS) to rate depression. Socio-demographic data was recorded in each patient which included age, gender, background, education level, employment status, occupation, marital status, and family type. The severity of anxiety symptoms was measured on Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). Independent t-tests, Chi-square tests, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Pearson's correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The total of 90 alcohol dependent patients with mean age of 37.6 +/- 9.3 years and mean HDRS score was 8.5 +/- 4.3. The overall prevalence of depression cohort was. Out of these 30 (33.3%) had mild and 6 (6.7%) had moderate depression, respectively. The mean Hamilton anxiety scale score was 18.6 +/- 5.2. Patients who had a lower Socio-economic Status (SES) (p-valuer 0.049 and 0.004), were martially separated (p-value<0.001 and 0.027), living in a nuclear family (p-value=0.005 and <0.001) and were unemployed (p-value<0.001 and p-value<0.001)had significantly higher depression and anxiety scores, respectively. Conclusion: In anxious and depressed alcohol dependent patients, lower SES, martial separation, living as a single family and unemployment significantly influenced depression and anxiety.