EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY-BASED COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY AND MOTIVATIONAL ENHANCEMENT THERAPY PROGRAM ON DRINKING BEHAVIOR AMONG PATIENTS WITH ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE

Abstract

               Objective: To compare the effects of the Family-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (F-CBT) Program and Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) Program on drinking behavior among patients with alcohol dependence.

               Methods: This quasi-experimental research was a part of the research and development. The sample group was 140 patients with alcohol dependence who had been treated in a hospital and lived in Chiang Mai province. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants and they were divided into 2 groups: 70 patients in the F-CBT program and 70 patients in the MET program. Research instruments were: 1) Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT), 2) Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), 3) F-CBT program, and 4) MET program. Descriptive statistics, one-way repeated measures ANOVA, and t-test were used in data analysis.

               Results: 1) The mean scores of drinking behavior of participants in the F-CBT group at the immediate post-treatment, three-month follow-up, and six-month follow-up periods were significantly different at the .01 level (p < .01), 2) the mean scores of drinking behavior of participants in the F-CBT group and the MET group at the immediate post-treatment period were not statistically significantly different, and 3) the mean scores of drinking behavior of participants at the three-month and six-month follow-up periods for the F-CBT group was statistically significantly different from the MET group at the .01 level (p < .01).

               Conclusion: The F-CBT program can reduce drinking behavior among patients with alcohol dependence when compared to the MET program at three-month follow-up and six-month follow-up after discharge. Therefore, the implementation of the F-CBT program should be promoted in the care of patients with alcohol dependence in the community to help them reduce their alcohol consumption.