The effects of alcohol withdrawal on mental state, interrogative suggestibility and compliance: an experimental study

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of alcohol withdrawal on suggestibility and mental state. There were three groups of participants. Group 1 was 127 inpatients admitted to a detoxification centre for alcohol abuse. They were assigned to one of seven batches according to their day of hospital admission. Group 2 was 20 of the inpatients (follow-up patients) reassessed between 7 and 12 months after discharge from the hospital. Group 3 was 27 persons who were attending groups run by Alcoholics Anonymous, who had not been tested before and had not consumed alcohol for at least 4 months. All participants completed measurements of mental state (MMSE), state and trait anxiety (STAI), suggestibility, memory, confabulation (GSS), and compliance (GCS). For Group 1, a significant difference across days emerged only on the MMSE. Cognitive functioning improved steadily over time. Patients withdrawing from alcohol (Group 1) were significantly more suggestible than the two 'control' groups (Groups 2 and 3), were overall more cognitively impaired, and had higher state and trait anxiety scores. The findings suggest that some persons experiencing alcohol withdrawal are significantly disadvantaged when coping with questioning in terms of their cognitive abilities and their ability to cope with leading questions and interrogative pressure.

Keywords:

• Alcohol Withdrawal
• Mental State
• Suggestibility
• Fitness For Interview