Barriers to treatment and stigma in alcohol dependent patients from a private rehabilitation centre in North India.

Abstract

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are prevalent worldwide but has a large treatment gap due to various factors. The primary aim of the study was to understand barriers to treatment and role of stigma in patients with alcohol dependence. The study was a cross-sectional observational study and was conducted in a private de-addiction center catering rural population of north India. Total of 150 adult male alcohol dependent patients were included for the study. Socio-demographic details, alcohol related details, barriers to treatment seeking, self-stigma and perceived stigma were assessed. All the participants were male. The mean age of the sample was 28.9 (standard deviation [SD] 6.8) years. More than half of the participants were married (<i>n</i> = 85, 56.7%), and most were literate (<i>n</i> = 146, 97.3%). Most patients belonged to an urban locality (<i>n</i> = 85, 56.7%) and were employed (<i>n</i> = 113, 75.3%). The mean age of onset of alcohol use was 18.4 (SD 3.1) years. The mean standard drinks consumed per day was 1.5 (SD 0.3). The median duration of the last intake was 30 (SD 5,120) days. The most common type of alcohol used by the patients was country-made liquor (CML) (<i>n</i> = 75, 50%). Most people think less of a person who has been in treatment for substance use was the item with the highest mean score of stigma. Self-devaluation component of self-stigma had a significant negative correlation with participants' age and a significant positive correlation with marital status and quantity of alcohol consumed per day. The total scores for perceived stigma had a significant positive correlation with the type of alcohol use, with use of CML having more perceived stigma. The most common reported barrier was financial. Stigma plays a significant role in the management of AUDs.