Exploring Factors Influencing Readiness to Change Drinking Behavior in Patients With Alcoholic Liver Disease

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to describe readiness to change alcohol drinking and its influencing factors in patients with alcohol-related liver disease. . A descriptive correlational study was accrued out. A convenient sample of 87 patients with alcohol-related liver disease was recruited from clinics of a medical center in northern Taiwan.

Methods: Data was collected using self-reported questionnaires, including the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES), the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale (AASE), and the Self-Stigma in Alcohol Dependence Scale (SSAD).Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software.

Results: The statistical methods used included descriptive statistics, t test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson's correlation coefficient, and linear regression analysis.. The subjects’ level of readiness to change alcohol drinking was low, with an average score of 65.22(SD = 10.79). The scores on the three dimensions of readiness (recognition, ambivalence, and taking steps) were all in a low range. Self-stigma of alcoholism and age together explained 19.3% of the variance in readiness to change alcohol drinking (F = 8.82, p < 0.001). Both self-stigma of alcoholism and age also explained 27.8% of the variance in the recognition dimension of readiness (F = 15.65, p < 0.001). Younger adults with a higher level of self-stigma of alcoholism had greater readiness to change alcohol drinking and showed higher recognition of alcohol drinking problem. The severity of alcohol consumption and age together explained17.3 % of the variance in the ambivalence dimension of readiness to change alcohol drinking (F =8.922, p< 0.001). Younger adults with a higher level of alcohol consumption showed greater ambivalence in readiness to change alcohol drinking. Alcohol abstinence self-efficacy and depression together explained 14.6% of the variance in the taking steps dimension of readiness to change alcohol drinking (F = 7.520, p = 0.001).

Conclusion: Patients with a higher level of alcohol abstinence self-efficacy and depression reported taking more steps to change alcohol drinking. Age, self-stigma of alcoholism, severity of alcohol consumption, alcohol abstinence self-efficacy, and depression are possible factors influencing individual readiness to change alcohol drinking. These variables should be taking in considerations while developing interventions for enhancing readiness to change in patients with alcohol-related liver disease.