Relations Between Self-consciousness, Depressive State and Craving To Drink Among Alcohol Dependent Subjects Undergoing Protracted Withdrawal

[Aims:] In order to understand how personality traits influence the relation between depression symptoms and craving for alcohol, self-consciousness is examined during a withdrawal and detoxification program. Design, Setting, Measurements and Participants: Craving, depression state, selfconsciousness trait (trait SC) and their time-dependent improvement were investigated among 30 inpatients during alcohol withdrawal. Craving (Obsessive and Compulsive Drinking Scale), Depressive state (Beck Depression Inventory) and trait SC (Self- Consciousness Scale) were assessed in alcohol-dependent patients (DSM-IV, N = 30) at the onset (T1: day 1 or 2) and at the end (T2: day 14 to18) of protracted withdrawal during rehabilitation. [Findings:] A significant decrease in craving and depressive symptoms was observed from T1 to T2 during a withdrawal and detoxification program while self-consciousness scores remained stable. At both times, there were positive correlations between craving and depression. Moreover, regression analyses showed that trait SC significantly moderated the impact of depression on craving for alcohol. [Conclusions:] During protracted withdrawal, alcohol craving decreased with the same magnitude as depressive mood. Depressive symptoms were linked to craving to drink but only among patients with high trait SC scores. Our results suggest that metacognitive approaches targeting self-consciousness could decrease craving and thus prevent relapse.