[Alcoholism and immigration. Adherence of immigrant patients to group therapy]

Group therapy (GT) is considered a cornerstone in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Increasing numbers of foreigners are accessing alcohol treatment facilities, but efficacy of TG in those patients has not been studied. This work focuses on the influence of ethnicity and language in the compliance of GT.

1856 consecutive patients who were referred to GT for alcohol dependence were followed until discharge or dropout. Time on treatment and final endpoint were compared according to place of birth.

31% of patients born in Barcelona, 39% born in Catalonia, 27% from the rest of Spain and 14.5% of foreigners (20% from Europe, 4% from America and none born in Africa (p = 0.02) completed successfully GT. The probability to stay in GT was 351, 412, 320 and 212 days (p = 0.000), respectively.

Patients born abroad have lower chances to complete GT successfully, presenting with higher dropout rates and shorter treatments. The low compliance found in South American patients (who share a common language) and the better compliance found in Europeans (who are also a bit older) suggest that dropout is probably more related to social integration than to language problems.