Cognitive Functions and Social Disability in Alcoholics

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of chronic alcoholism on cognitive functions and social disability.

Method: Forty-one chronic alcoholic men and forty control subjects of comparable age and forty control subjects of comparable age and education level were evaluated. The patients received the neuropsychological tests and social disability scale after a 3 week period of abstinence. Each subject was given an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests assessing language skills, attention, memory and cognitive functions related to frontal regions of brain. Two groups were compared regarding the results of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Line Orientation Test (LOT), Visual Auditory Digit Span Test (VADST), Stroop Test, Mini Mental State Examination, and Hamilton Depression Scale. Social disability level was determined by the administration of the Short Form General Health Survey of Medical Outcome Study (SF-MOS). The symptoms and the symptom severity of alcohol dependent patients were evaluated by using the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), a semi-structured instrument for clinical interview and symptom rating.

Results: Alcoholic patients showed a significant impairment on auditory part of VADST. Similarly LOT results were significantly different between alcoholics and control group. The following WCST subscores were statistically different between the two groups: Total answer, total error, total perseverative responses, perseverative errors, percent of perseverative errors, nonperseverative errors, number of categories completed, and conceptual responses. Stroop Test results showed no statistical difference between the two groups. Social disability scores were significantly higher in alcoholic patients compared with the control group. 63.42% of the forty-one patients, had severe disability. Statistical analysis failed to show any significant correlation between the neuropsychological test results and disability scores.

Conclusion:

Alcohol dependent patients displayed significant neurocognitive impairment and high levels of social disability compared with healthy controls.

Social disability levels did not appear to be correlated with neurocognitive dysfunction.

Research report; Cognitive Functions and Social Disability in Alcohol Dependency. Dr. Sibel MERCAN, Dr. Berna ULU?, Dr. Ahmet GÃ–?Ãœ?. Turkish J of Psychiatry, 1999; 10(1): 3-12