Therapie alkoholbezogener Storungen im Alter:Ergebnisse der deutschen Stichprobe der randomisiert-kontrollierten ELDERLY-Studie

Aim: The demographic change implicates a higher number of older persons with alcohol related problems, for which therapeutic care is insufficient up to now. Within the international randomized-controlled ELDERLY study two versions of an outpatient psychotherapeutic treatment for persons aged 60 years or older having an alcohol use disorder according to DSM-5 (AUD) were tested in three countries. Methods: After baseline, the randomized treatment groups were reassessed after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Changes (time and group) regarding drinking quantity, number of abstinent days, number of days with binge drinking, and number of days with low-risk consumption as well as number of fulfilled criteria for AUD were evaluated. Complete case- and intention-to-treat analyses for the German subsample are presented (n=203). Results: Both treatment groups showed stably up to 12 months after baseline higher abstinence rates (18 %; t0: 4 %), rates of persons without any days of risky use (45 %, t0: 4 %) and without binge drinking days (68 %; t0: 15 %). Also, a reduction in drinking quantity (median of 27 g pure alcohol per drinking day; t0: 58 g) and number of fulfilled AUD criteria (median of 2; t0: 5) was observed. Conclusion: The improvements with regard to drinking behavior and symptoms of AUD remained steady despite the relatively short treatment duration. Motivational interventions, especially personalized feedback of drinking behavior, evoke changes in drinking behavior in older persons with alcohol related disorders. Therapeutic nihilism is misplaced; rather is it necessary to consider special needs of this target group to implement tailored help offers.