Measuring illness insight in patients with alcohol-related cognitive dysfunction using the Q8 questionnaire: a...

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Addiction Medicine
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Impaired illness insight negatively impacts treatment outcomes for alcohol-related cognitive deficits.
• Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) with mild neurocognitive deficits are key populations affected.
• A validated tool is needed to assess insight in these patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reliability and validity of the Q8 questionnaire for assessing illness insight.
• To compare illness insight between patients with KS and AUD.
• To explore the relationship between illness insight and cognitive functioning.

Main Methods:

• Assessed internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and factor structure of the Q8.
• Compared Q8 scores between AUD and KS patient groups.
• Correlated Q8 scores with the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) and neuropsychological tests (processing speed, memory, executive function).

Main Results:

• The Q8 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α =0.73).
• Q8 scores significantly differed between AUD and KS patients, indicating a single underlying factor.
• Higher Q8 scores (better insight) were associated with better performance on cognitive tests and lower DEX discrepancy scores.

Conclusions:

• The Q8 is a short, valid, and reliable instrument for assessing illness insight.
• It is suitable for patients with moderate-to-severe alcohol-related cognitive dysfunction.
• The Q8 can aid in understanding the relationship between insight and cognitive status in AUD and KS.