Center for Innovation to Implementation, Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Palo Alto, California.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2019 Sep;43(9):1986-1993. doi: 10.1111/acer.14153. Epub 2019 Aug 26.
Poor functioning among Concerned Others (COs; family and friends of an individual with an alcohol or other substance use disorder) is a significant public health problem. The purpose of this study was to inform interventions for COs by examining potential correlates of 3 aspects of functioning: quality of life, mental health, and knowledge of how to handle problems related to their drinker.
This study collected data from 277 COs when their friend or family member (their "drinker") was entering treatment for an alcohol use disorder. Potential correlates were the drinker's substance use severity, the CO-drinker relationship and communication, and COs' coping and perceived stigma related to involvement with their drinker.
In a summary analysis, only stressors in the CO-drinker relationship (the drinker's criticism, disagreement, anger, and demands) were consistently associated with poorer functioning as indicated by COs' poorer quality of life and mental health. In contrast, only COs' use of approach coping was associated with COs' knowing how to handle problems related to the drinker.
Because reducing both relationship stressors and the link between stressors and poor functioning can be achieved through CO and drinker education and intervention, these findings inform how to effectively support COs' goals for better functioning.
关心他人（CO；酗酒或其他物质使用障碍者的家人和朋友）功能不良是一个重大的公共卫生问题。本研究旨在通过检查与功能的 3 个方面相关的潜在相关性来为 CO 干预提供信息：生活质量、心理健康以及处理与饮酒者相关问题的知识。
本研究在其朋友或家人（“饮酒者”）接受治疗酒精使用障碍时，从 277 位 CO 那里收集数据。潜在的相关性包括饮酒者的物质使用严重程度、CO-饮酒者的关系和沟通，以及 CO 应对和与参与饮酒者相关的感知耻辱感。
在总结分析中，只有 CO-饮酒者关系中的压力源（饮酒者的批评、分歧、愤怒和要求）与 CO 较差的生活质量和心理健康相关的功能不良一直相关。相比之下，只有 CO 采用应对策略与 CO 了解如何处理与饮酒者相关的问题有关。
由于可以通过对 CO 和饮酒者的教育和干预来减少关系压力源和压力源与功能不良之间的联系，因此这些发现为如何有效地支持 CO 改善功能的目标提供了信息。
