Validation of the Polish version of the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS). / Walidacja polskiej wersji Skali Glodu Alkoholu Penn (Penn Alcohol Craving Scale ­ PACS).

OBJECTIVES: The conducted studies were aimed at making a Polish adaptation of the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) by B. Flannery and co-workers. The Scale is a self-assessment method, it comprises 5 statements, and is designed to assess alcohol craving experienced by a patient in a week prior to the examination. METHODS: 550 patients with diagnosed alcohol dependence syndrome were examined, and the final analysis included results of 510 persons. The examined group consisted of 396 men and 114 women. The study was made in the 3rd week of their alcohol treatment. There were used: the PENN Craving Scale, the Alcohol Dependence Development Scale (SRUA) (the part in which craving is dealt with), a clinical interview with specially prepared questions about alcohol craving experienced last month and last week, and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Intense Drinking Scale. RESULTS: The Polish version of the Penn Scale is characterised by very good psychometric properties - it is a reliable and valid tool. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses have proved the existence of one factor. The internal consistency, assessed on the basis of Cronbach's alpha, equalled 0.89. The method displays statistically significant (majority p < 0.0010) relationships with levels of craving experienced last year, last month, and last week before the examination, and also with total score on the Yale-Brown Scale. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of the conducted adaptation works on the Penn Scale speak for recommending the method for scientific research and use in therapeutic practice.

Suicidal thoughts in persons treated for alcohol dependence: The role of selected demographic and clinical factors.

Greater knowledge is needed of potential predictive factors for suicide in cases of alcohol addiction. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the socio-demographic variables and clinical factors associated with alcohol dependence which may have an influence on the occurrence of suicidal thoughts in alcohol-dependent patients. A group of 510 patients (396 male and 114 female) diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome were interviewed during the third week of therapy according to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) and the Short Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire (SADD). Socio-demographic data was also collected. The results of a binary logistic regression with suicidal thoughts as a dependent variable show that 63 out of the 510 participants (12% of the sample) reported the presence of suicidal thoughts. Alcohol dependence and alcohol craving appear to increase the likelihood of suicidal thoughts, and participants presenting psychiatric disorders were twice as likely to demonstrate suicidal ideation as those who did not. Alcohol dependence, alcohol craving and psychiatric comorbidity may be regarded as risk factors for suicidal ideation in the studied sample, with the only protective factor being living in a relationship.

The Polish Version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Modified to Reflect Obsessions and Compulsions Related to Heavy Drinking (YBOCS-hd-PL).

BACKGROUND: The aim of the research work was to present the process of adapting the Polish version of the YBOCS-hd by Modell and colleagues (Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1992;16:266) to Polish conditions and to characterize the psychometric validation of the measure (e.g., validity, internal structure, and reliability). The scale is a self-assessment method consisting of 10 statements designed for measuring the severity of obsessive and compulsive craving-related thoughts and behaviors in alcohol-dependent or alcohol-abusing patients. METHODS: The study was carried out in a group of 550 patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome, 510 of whom (396 males and 114 females) were included in the final analysis. The patients were interviewed during the third week of therapy by the Polish version of the Yale-Brown Compulsive Scale Modified to Reflect Obsessions and Compulsions Related to Heavy Drinking (YBOCS-hd-PL), the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS), Short Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire (SADD), and the "compulsive" subscale of SCL-90. RESULTS: The YBOCS-hd-PL is characterized by good psychometric properties. Factor analysis identified 2 factors corresponding to the structure of the original version. Its internal consistency, assessed on the basis of Cronbach's alpha, is satisfactory: 0.84 for YBOCS-hd-PL (overall), 0.75 for factor 1 (obsessive thoughts), and 0.79 for factor 2 (compulsive behaviors). The discriminant power of the questions ranged from 0.46 to 0.68 (p < 0.001). For the adapted YBOCS-hd-PL, significant correlations were found between its scores and the PACS and the "compulsive" subscale of the SCL-90 scale. The obtained results indicate the Polish version of the YBOCS-hd (YBOCS-hd-PL) proved to be a reliable and valid instrument. CONCLUSIONS: In view of its very good psychometric properties, the Polish version of the YBOCS-hd can be recommended as an instrument for assessment of alcohol craving and its obsessive and compulsive aspects in individuals with alcohol use disorders.