Improvement in quality of life among women and men aged 60 years and older following treatment for alcohol use disorder

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have yielded mixed results on the association between gender and alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment outcomes. Thus, additional research is needed to determine the effect of gender on AUD treatment outcomes, including quality of life (QoL), particularly among older adults. Aims: In a clinical sample of older adults with DSM-5 AUD, we examined changes in QoL from the beginning of AUD treatment through 1 year of follow-ups. We also examined the effect of gender and explored interaction effects with gender on QoL. Methods: We utilized data from the “Elderly Study,” a multi-national, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial of 693 adults aged 60+ with DSM-5 AUD. Alcohol use was assessed with the Form-90, and QoL with the brief version of the World Health Organization QoL measure. Information was collected at treatment initiation and at 4-, 12-, 26-, and 52-week follow-ups. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic and linear regression models were used to examine QoL changes and the effect of gender on changes in QoL. Results: Following treatment, small, but significant improvements were seen over time in overall perceived health (p < 0.05). Improvements that persisted over the 1-year follow-up period were seen in the QoL domains of physical health (β: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.4–3.9), psychological health (β: 3.5, 95% CI: 3.3–3.8), social relationships (β: 4.0, 95% CI: 2.5–5.6), and environmental health (β: 1.4, 95% CI: 0.4–2.4). No significant changes were seen over time in overall perceived QoL (p = 0.58). Gender was not associated with changes in any of the QoL outcome measures (all p ≥ 0.05). Conclusions: Among 60+ year-old adults receiving treatment for DSM-5 AUD, improvements in QoL were achievable and maintained over time, but were not associated with gender.