The frequency of alcohol consumption and the relationship between alcohol dependence and depression among a group of men

Objective: To determine the prevalence of alcohol consumption and dependence and the relationship between alcohol dependence and depression.Methodology: This study was a cross-sectional research conducted among men aged 30 years and over residing in a town of Eskisehir (Kaymaz) between 11 Jan., 2010 and 25 Feb., 2010. Of a total of 946 students studying in the school 816(86.3%) constituted the study group. In this study, of a total of 367 men who accepted to participate in the study 273 (64.4%) were enrolled in this study. The CAGE test as a screening test in determining alcohol dependence and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression screening test were used. The data was evaluated by Ki-square (x2) test. For statistical significance p 0.05 level was accepted. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 55.22±12.39 (range=30-87). Overall, the prevalence of depression was 22.7%. According to the test CAGE, the prevalence of suspected alcohol abuse among alcohol consumers was 30.6%. In this study, the frequency of alcohol consumption was found to be 35.9%. The frequency of alcohol consumption was higher in those whose age was 60 and over (p 0.001), in those whose education level was secondary school and above (p 0.001), in those with a job (p 0.01) and in those who were married (p 0.05). Conclusion: The co-morbidity between alcohol use and depression may be considered and understanding of these relationships should be helpful to increase the chances of treatment success