Miloš Židanik
Health centre Maribor
Sodna ulica 13
2000 Maribor

 
Key words: alcohol-related disorders, group psychotherapy, psychiatry, therapy

Abstract:  

Background. The aim of this article was the assessment of therapeutic factors in group psychotherapy of outpatient alcoholic.

Methods. The survey took place among members of our out-patient group for treating alcoholism in The Health Centre Maribor, Slovenia. The results were anonymously obtained by Yalom's self-evaluating questionnaire containing 60 items. The group members ranked the 12 therapeutic factors according to their importance. Kendall's W coefficient of concordance was used in the analysis of data.

Results. The sample was relatively small (n =23), 13 male and 10 women. 11 were younger as 40 years, 12 were 40 years old and older. 15 had alcohol-related disorder, 8 were their relatives (all women). There was a high internal agreement of ranking order. Concordance rate was high between sub samples regarding sex (W =0,939) and age (W =0,894), a little lower was between this and Yalom’s sample (W =0,762). The highest-ranking therapeutic factors were cohesiveness, catharsis, existential factors and instillation of hope. The factors of universality and identification had the lowest ranking. There were differences between sexes – the most important factor for women was the instillation of hope, ranked as the forth important by man. There were also differences between subgroups regarding age: 40 years and older had for the most important factor the existential factors (the fifth most important for others) and for the subgroup under 40 years the most important factor was instillation of hope (ranked as the fifth most important for the 40 years and older). The most prominent differences between this and Yalom’s sample were in ranking of interpersonal learning (input), self understanding and universality (in favour by Yalom’s group-members) and in ranking of instillation of hope and leading, that was in favour by the members of my sample.

Conclusions. The results show specifics of the sample: the factor of leading is more important in the group with alcoholic’s, showing their need for advise and the preparedness of other group members to oblige. On the other hand the results regarding the ranking of interpersonal learning (input) show, that we are still in transition between former sociotherapeutic groups toward more interactional and interpersonal here and now groups. The prominent difference in ranking instillation of hope between groups in also understandable: hope is very important for alcohol-dependent patients, that have struggled with their alcoholism for years and even more for their relatives, that have lost their hope for spouses recovery long time ago. The same difference is between sub samples regarding sex: for the youngest (with more type B alcoholism, with more depression, severe dependence, frequent polysubstance abuse, much psychopathology and severe life stresses) the instillation of hope is more important and for the oldest the existential factors. This is also understandable, because the natural course of aging expectantly brings this predominant themes as multiple losses with grief and loneliness.