Measuring illness insight in patients with alcohol-related cognitive dysfunctions using the Q8 questionnaire: A validation study

Abstract

Objective: One consequence of alcohol-related cognitive dysfunction is impaired illness insight, which may hamper treatment outcome. That is, patients typically underestimate the amount of alcohol they have used, underestimate the length of their alcohol addiction, and misjudge the severe and adverse consequences of alcohol addiction on daily life and health functioning. In this study, we validated the Q8, a short questionnaire for the assessment of illness insight, in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) and alcoholic controls. Participants and Methods: Ninety-seven patients alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients completed the Q8 as part of their regular assessment procedure. Forty-two were diagnosed as KS patients (29 men; mean age=57.4; range 42-77), fifty-five as alcoholic controls (38 men; mean age=54.7; range 30-76). The Q8 was validated by comparing it to the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) and relating it to tests for processing speed, memory and executive function. Internal consistency of the Q8 and correlations between the DEX and the neuropsychological measures were computed. Results: Internal consistency of the Q8 was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha=0.73) and significant correlations between Q8 and the DEX questionnaire and the neuropsychological measures were found (rvalues>. 26, p< 0.05), indicating that a higher degree of illness insight is associated with more self-reported cognitive complaints and better cognitive functioning. Conclusions: The Q8 is a short, valid and easy to administer questionnaire for assessing illness insight in patients with moderate and severe alcohol-related cognitive dysfunction.