Efecto de un entrenamiento en habilidades de afrontamiento para el manejo del afecto negativo en un programa de tratamiento para pacientes con dependencia al alcohol

Introduction: coping skills for managing negative affect are defined as the cognitive and behavioral responses that the individual carries out to manage internal and external demands related to emotional states such as fear, sadness, anger, contempt, disgust or guilt. Objective: to evaluate the effect that training in cognitive-behavioral coping skills for managing negative affect has on the alcohol consumption pattern, the level of negative affect and the basic coping style of patients with alcohol dependence. Method: a quasi-experimental design with a control group was used, with pre and posttest measurements. Eleven men and three women participated (M = 33.44 [SD = 11.32]). Results: the results showed statistically significant changes in the experimental group, in the alcohol consumption pattern, (z = -2.52, p < .05), the level of negative affect (z = -2.53, p < .05); in basic coping styles such as problem-solving focus (z = -2.04, p < .05), which increased; and open emotional expression (z = -2.12, p < .05). Discussion and conclusions: the results obtained in this study are consistent with similar research in which people decreased their alcohol consumption as they used coping skills to manage emotions. The importance of including training in specific skills for managing negative affect as a key component of treatment is confirmed.