Motivating drinking behavior change - Depressive symptoms may not be noxious

Depression often hinders behavior change among people who abuse alcohol; it adversely affects self-efficacy and is associated with poor outcomes. Howe ver, the Transtheoretical Stages of Change Model suggests that personal dis comfort, namely if the costs of drinking outweigh the benefits, may lead to behavior change. Often such alcohol-related consequences are associated wi th depression. Seventy-five alcohol-abusing participants, ages 18-50, compl eted the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Losses Of Significance Self-repor t Questionnaire-Revised (LOSS-QR), Situational Confidence Questionnaire-42 (SCQ-42), the Brief Readiness to Change Questionnaire (RTC), and the Steady Pattern Chart (SP) at baseline and again 3 months later. BDI scores were s ignificantly associated with all three RTC stage scores. LOSS-OR scores sig nificantly predicted BDI scores but SCQ-42 scores did not. Interestingly, B DI scores did not predict changes in drinking rates over time. Greater leve ls of depressive symptoms, perhaps associated with awareness of negative dr inking consequences, may promote rather than hinder motivation to change dr inking behavior among people. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.