Persistence predicts latency to relapse following inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence.

Male alcoholics (N = 85) were followed for 6 months after inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence. Latency to relapse was predicted by two related persistence measures (the RD2 Persistence scale and the Orderliness/Persistence factor scale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, TPQ) as well as by job status at the time of admission to treatment, a history of vagrancy or public intoxication, amount of prior substance abuse treatment and the number of criteria met for a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Persistence predicted relapse latency even when the other predictors were used as covariates, supporting the hypothesis that normal-range personality variables may enhance the prediction of clinical outcome. Further, the relations between TPQ scales and antisocial behavior as well as the severity of alcohol dependence were examined.