5th Edition of Addiction World Conference 2026

Abstract

Introduction: Alcohol use disorders are common in every section of society, and are more prevalent in men than women. Alcoholism is considered as an ongoing stressor, not only for the individual, but also for family members as well as the spouses. Spouses of alcoholics are known to be exposed to high rates of Domestic Violence (DV), which could be verbal, physical, or sexual. Realizing its importance the present study is aimed to explore the psychiatric co morbidity and domestic violence in alcohol-dependent male patients, as there is dearth of information regarding same from our country.

Method: Spouses of 50 consecutive alcohol-dependent males aged 18-55 years giving informed consent attending the psychiatry OPD at Era's Lucknow Medical College, Lucknow were recruited. They were assessed for Domestic violence via Domestic Violence Questionnaire (DVQ) and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Schedule was used to assess psychiatric co-morbidity. The association of DV with psychological morbidities was also studied.

Results: More than half of the spouses (60%) had a psychiatric morbidity. 36% had Adjustment disorder. Major depressive disorder was present in 20%. Domestic violence was seen in 60% of spouses. The most common mode of domestic violence was slapping and beating the spouses.

Conclusion: Domestic violence was higher among the spouses of alcohol dependent males. Addressing this issue will be beneficial, as spouses are known to play an important role in the treatment of alcohol use disorder.