Objectives: Retention in alcohol-dependence treatment is an indicator of successful treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze Lesch's typology of alcohol dependence (LAT) and the participation of close people as potential predictors of retention in outpatient treatment.
Methods: Participants were included in the study according to the inclusion criteria. Data were collected over eight visits during a 6-month period. The primary outcome was retention in treatment during the 6-month follow-up period.
Results: 119 patients were involved in the study, and 84 (70.6 %) of those patients remained in treatment up to the 6th month. Analysis of retention was performed for the Lesch I, II, and III types, as the type IV patients were underrepresented and had different baseline characteristics. Higher retention was found for Lesch I type patients (78.4 %) in comparison to the merged II and III groups. The presence of close people at planned visits had a significant effect on treatment persistence.
Conclusions: We found no significant difference in the treatment retention of alcohol-dependent patients at the 6-month follow-up. However, a more comprehensive survival analysis indicated a trend of different retention dynamics between the Lesch I and merged Lesch II and III subgroups. Baseline severity of dependence measured by AUDIT score had no significant effect on treatment retention (Tab. 1, Fig. 3, Ref. 35).
Keywords: Lesch typology; alcohol dependence; treatment retention close person participation..