Superior outcome of females over males after brief treatment for the reduction of heavy drinking: replication and report of therapist effects

Abstract

The procedures and findings of a previous study were replicated. Sixty-one men and 35 women were randomized to one of three treatments: Manual: three sessions of instructions in use of a manual describing a step-by-step method for attaining abstinence or moderate drinking.

Guidelines: three sessions of advice using a pamphlet summarizing the contents of the manual. Therapist: application of the step-by-step method in an indefinite number of sessions. At 3-month follow-up, the number of Moderate drinkers was again significantly higher among women than men in the GUIDELINES (77% versus 24%) and Manual conditions (75% versus 33%), but not in the Therapist condition (50% versus 53%). Again, at 1-year more women than men were Moderate drinkers in all conditions (69% versus 31% overall). Changes from baseline in GGT, MCV, and the Digit Symbol Test corroborated the clients' reports of drinking. In this study the more experienced therapists had significantly lower rates of client dropout than the less experienced. Clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed.