Anxiety and depression in spouses of males diagnosed with alcohol dependence: A comparative study

Abstract

Aims: In this study, we aim to compare the proportion of anxiety and depression among spouses of males with alcohol use disorder and spouses of males without alcohol use disorder. Materials and methods: We conducted a comparative study on patients attending the general practice OPD of an urban tertiary care hospital. Two groups were compared - wives of men with alcohol use disorder (diagnosed by DSM-5) and wives of men without alcohol use disorder. Semi-structured questionnaires, PHQ-9 and GAD-7, were administered. Results: In total, 58 women (38%) married to men with alcohol use disorder reported depression and 89 women (59%) reported anxiety, as opposed to 26 (17%) and 58 (38%) women married to men without alcohol use disorder. The difference was significant, with odds ratio at 3.01 and 2.31 respectively. Discussion: The rates found were comparable to previous studies. However, the current study better elucidates the causality of psychiatric morbidity among spouses of men with alcohol dependence as it is a comparative study. Conclusion: Wives of men with alcohol use disorder show significantly higher rates of both depression and anxiety when compared with wives of men without alcohol use disorder. This increased psychiatric morbidity affects not only the individual but the entire family unit, reduces effective participation in treatment and affects the overall quality of life of the family. Thus, it is important to be vigilant about it and intervene in a timely manner.