Correlates of life stress in an alcohol treatment sample

Men in alcohol dependence treatment commonly report elevated levels of stressful life experiences prior to entering treatment. Clinical researchers have argued that training patients to cope with stress is an important aspect of therapy for alcohol dependence. Current age and age of onset of alcohol dependence are two patient characteristics that may relate to stress and allow mental health care providers to anticipate patient needs more readily. This study examines whether current age and age of onset of alcohol dependence are related to the type of stress experienced preceding treatment. Participants were 350 male veterans receiving inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence who completed a semistructured interview-based life stress assessment. The likelihood of life events related to achievement, relationship, and legal problems decreased with age; the likelihood of health difficulties increased with age; and age and age of onset of alcohol dependence interacted to predict health difficulties. These results indicate that the nature of some stress experiences prior to treatment for alcohol dependence may be related to current age and the course of alcohol dependence.