Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alcohol use is prevalent among hepatology clinic patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). We explored factors associated with the importance and confidence dimensions of motivation to reduce drinking. METHODS: Participants (N = 121) with unhealthy alcohol use (i.e., over NIH guidelines) receiving care in hepatology clinics from a safety-net hospital (SN, N = 54) and two Veterans Affairs Healthcare Systems (VA, N = 67) were enrolled in an alcohol intervention trial from March 2022 through October 2023. Baseline assessments included Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), COVID-19 stress; and measures of importance and confidence to decrease alcohol use (readiness rulers, scales of 1-10). Liver disease aetiology and severity were extracted from electronic health records. We performed multivariable linear regression models with forward selection to assess pre-specified variables' associations with importance and confidence. RESULTS: The sample was 84% male, 40% Latino, 31% White, 18% Black and 11% other races; median age was 61 years. Median (Q1-Q3) AUDIT score was 16 (12-24), importance was 9 (6-10) and confidence was 8 (5-9). On multivariable analysis, VA site (vs. SN) participants had a 0.97-point lower importance score (p = 0.02); higher symptoms of depression (PHQ-8 score ≥ 10 vs. < 10) and AUDIT scores (for each point increase) were associated with higher importance score (estimates 1.2 and 0.08, p < 0.05, respectively). Liver disease aetiology and severity were not significantly associated with outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Depression, alcohol problem severity and treatment site may influence motivation to reduce alcohol use and could inform future hepatology-based interventions.