QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG SPOUSES OF PATIENT WITH ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE SYNDROME: A HOSPITAL BASED STUDY

Background:Alcoholism not only harm to the person who consumes it but also one's family.Spouses are mostly affected because of the intimate nature of the relationship,studies on the impact on spouses have been very limited in psychiatric literature. Aim: This study aimed to assess the quality of life among spouses of patients with alcohol dependence syndrome. Materials and Methods: This is a hospital-based cross-sectional, observational study, conducted in a tertiary care hospital.A study group of 60 participants with alcohol dependence and their spouse were included in the study. They were assessed using Short alcohol dependence data questionnaire (SADD) and WHO Quality of Life (QoL) and the results were then correlated.Results:The mean SADD score of the studied participants was 25.03±3.83 ranging from 16-36.According to the SADD score,out of total 60 patients,55 (91.7%) were classified as Greater High Dependent and 5 (8.3%) as Moderate Dependent. Total WHOQOL Score of the studied participants in physical domain was 24.16±3.84,followed by 20.75±3.32 in psychological domain,10.98±1.93 in social relationship domain,and 27.11±4.39 in environment domain. Results revealed poor perceived quality of life in the study group. Conclusion:Alcohol use disorder have a negative impact on the quality of life in spouses of patients with alcohol dependence syndrome. Caregiver burden among primary caregivers of patients with alcohol use disorder was of moderate to severe degree.