Relapse among Persons with Alcohol Dependence Disorder: Does Assertiveness Matter?

Relapse is very common among persons with alcohol dependence disorder and the correlates of relapse are diverse. Assertiveness is the ability to act in harmony with ones values and self esteem without hurting others and its relation to relapse requires exploration. The study aims to understand whether assertiveness could be one of the factors that is associated with alcohol dependence disorder. Fifty three males with alcohol dependence disorder, who were repeatedly relapsing and were attending various Deaddiction centers in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts of Kerala State and a matched controlled group of 46 non alcoholic persons drawn from the same localities based on convenient sampling, in the age range of 18–54 were recruited for the study. Apart from the personal data schedule and alcohol history taking proforma for assessing various parameters related to drinking, Malayalam version of Rathus Assertiveness Schedule was used to assess assertiveness. The mean score of assertiveness of the experimental group was found to be 0.30 and that of the control group was 12.04 and the t value was 3.38, significant at.001 level. When the assertiveness score of the persons who are abstainers (n-18) and who are currently on relapse (n-35) were compared, no significant difference was obtained. No significant difference was obtained between assertiveness and other variables of age, religion, domicile, marital status and SES. Assertiveness appears to be one of the factors that is associated with relapse and therefore assertiveness training needs to be included as one of the key component of the relapse treatment programs as well as the de-addiction counseling programs.