The effectiveness of a cognitive-autonomous motivation program on coping ability, alcohol consumption behavior, and severity of dependence for alcohol-dependent patients

Relapses into heavy alcohol use among alcohol-dependent patients remain relatively common following the completion of treatment, which is a significant global health challenge and leads to both physical and psychosocial consequences. This study employed a quasi-experimental repeated measures design to examine the effects of the cognitive-autonomous motivation program (CAMP) on coping ability, alcohol consumption behavior, and severity of alcohol dependence. The study was conducted with 71 alcohol-dependent patients who met the inclusion criteria and received treatment from the addiction ward of the Thai tertiary care hospital. Participants were assigned to experimental and control groups based on treatment timeframes to minimize cross-group contamination. Additionally, they were matched based on levels of alcohol craving to control for potential confounding variables. The experimental group (n = 36) received the CAMP program, while the control group (n = 35) received conventional nursing care. Outcome measures were collected at baseline, and at 4 and 8 weeks following hospital discharge (Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3, respectively). Data were analyzed using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results were as follows: 1) The mean scores for alcohol consumption behavior and severity of dependence in the experimental group at Times 2 and 3 were significantly decreased from Time 1 (p < .05). At Time 3, there were no statistically significant differences from Time 2 (p >.05).2) The mean scores for alcohol consumption behavior and severity of dependence in the experimental group were statistically lower than those in the control group at Times 2 and 3 (p < .05). 3) The mean scores for the problem-focused coping ability of the experimental group at Times 2 and 3 were significantly increased from Time 1 (p < .05). At Time 3, there were no statistically significant differences from Time 2 (p >.05). 4) The mean scores for the problem-focused coping ability of the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group at Times 2 and 3 (p < .05). 5) The mean scores for the emotional-focused coping and avoidance coping ability of the experimental group at Times 2 and 3 were significantly decreased from Time 1 (p < .05). At Time 3, there were no statistically significant differences from Time 2 (p >.05). 6) The mean scores for emotional-focused coping and avoidance coping ability in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group at Times 2 and 3 (p < .05). In conclusion, the CAMP program demonstrated positive effects on coping ability, alcohol consumption behavior, and the severity of alcohol dependence among alcohol-dependent patients, as measured at 4 and 8 weeks following hospital discharge.