Clinical and epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relationship between alcohol addiction and mood disorders. Alcohol-dependent patients with depression tend to demonstrate clinically more severe manic symptoms, which complicates the process of diagnosis and therapy. However, the predictors indicating the risk of mood disorders in addicted patients remain unclear. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between personal dispositions, bipolar traits, depth of addiction, quality of sleep, and depressive symptoms in alcohol-dependent men. The study group comprised 70 men (age M = 46.06, SD = 11.29) diagnosed with alcohol addiction. The participants completed a battery of questionnaires: BDI, HCL-32, PSQI, EPQ-R and MAST. The results were tested using Pearson's correlation quotient and general linear model. The findings indicate that some of the studied patients are likely to have mood disorders of clinically significant severity. High neuroticism and poor sleep quality are independent predictors of depressive symptoms in alcohol-dependent patients. Among the components of sleep quality, problems with falling asleep and waking up at night appear to be most strongly associated with depressive symptoms. The intensity of depressive symptoms may relate to the intensity of certain bipolar features, such as risk-taking activity and irritability. High neuroticism and poor sleep quality are independent predictors of depressive symptoms in the studied group.
Keywords: alcohol addiction; bipolarity features; depression; sleep quality; temperament.