AUTHOR=Braus Niels , Kewitz Sonja , Hunger-Schoppe Christina 

TITLE=The Complex Dynamics of Resources and Maintaining Factors in Social Networks for Alcohol-Use Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.804567

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.804567

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>Systemic therapy considers the complex dynamics of relational factors and resources contributing to psychological symptoms. Negative maintaining factors have been well researched for people suffering from Alcohol-use Disorders (AUD). However, we know little about the complex dynamics of these negative factors and resources. We interviewed fifty-five participants suffering or fully remitted from Alcohol-use disorders in this cross-sectional study (<italic>M</italic> = 52 years; 33% female). The interviews focused on relational factors (e.g., social support and social negativity) referring to a Support Social Network and a Craving Social Network (CSN). The CSN included all significant others who were associated with craving situations. We compared the network characteristics of the group suffering from Alcohol-use Disorders (<italic>n</italic> = 38) to a fully remitted control group (<italic>n</italic> = 17). The abstinent group with full remission named on average fewer individuals in the CSNs. They had lower social negativity mean scores in the Support Social Network compared to the non-remitted group (<italic>d</italic> = 0.74). In the CSN, the mean scores of social support were significantly higher than the median for both groups (<italic>d</italic> = 2.50). These findings reveal the complex interplay of relational patterns contributing to the etiology, maintenance, and recovery from Alcohol-use disorders. A successful recovery can be linked to increased social resources and reduced relations associated with craving. However, craving-associated relations represent an important source of social support. Future research should investigate this ambivalence for the systemic perspective on the explanation and treatment of Alcohol-use disorders.</p>