Acta Biomedica Scientia

ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG SPOUSES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE SYNDROME IN SOUTH INDIA

Dr. Prathyusha Mikkilineni

Alcohol dependence, quality of life, spouses.

Alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) significantly impacts not only individuals but also their families, particularly spouses, who often bear a considerable burden due to their intimate relationship. Spouses face challenges across multiple domains, including physical, psychological, social, and environmental, yet their experiences remain underexplored in Indian psychiatric research. Objective: To evaluate the quality of life (QoL) among spouses of patients with alcohol dependence syndrome and to assess the association between the severity of alcohol dependence and caregivers' QoL. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted from January to December 2024 at the Department of Psychiatry, Jakir Hossain Medical College and Research Institute, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. Sixty patients diagnosed with ADS based on ICD-10 criteria, along with their spouses, were recruited through purposive sampling. The Short Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire (SADD) assessed the severity of alcohol dependence in patients, while the WHO-QOL BREF scale evaluated the QoL of spouses. Sociodemographic data were recorded using a semi-structured proforma, and socioeconomic status was classified using the Modified Kuppuswamy Scale. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 11.5, with P < 0.05 considered significant. Results: The mean SADD score of patients was 25.03±3.83, with 91.7% classified as severely dependent. Spouses reported significantly lower QoL scores across physical (24.16±3.84), psychological (20.75±3.32), social (10.98±1.93), and environmental (27.11±4.39) domains. However, the association between QoL and SADD scores was non-significant (P > 0.05). Marital duration, educational level, and family structure showed no significant correlation with QoL. Conclusion: Spouses of ADS patients experience significantly poorer QoL compared to those without alcohol-dependent partners. The caregiving burden is most pronounced in financial and emotional domains, exacerbated by the severity of alcohol dependence. Addressing the mental health and QoL of spouses is crucial to alleviating caregiver burden and improving treatment outcomes for patients with alcohol dependence syndrome