Putting Online Help to the Test
About 7.7 million Americans are married to or live with a partner who has an alcohol problem. Those who try to find help and support in the offline world often run into barriers. Some can’t find family support groups or affordable counseling available in their area. Some are stymied by issues with scheduling, transportation or babysitting. And others fear retribution from their families. Recognizing an unmet need, Dr. Rychtarik and his colleagues set out to develop an online program that would help women with an alcoholic partner strengthen their coping skills. The researchers built a website that included animated presentations and video dramatizations of the most effective ways to deal with common problems. Certified counselors were available to chat online or by phone. Eighty-nine women who were distressed by a partner’s drinking volunteered to test drive the online program. After eight weeks, they were less unhappy, and the coping skills they had learned seemed to be a big part of the reason.Shoring Up Coping Skills
The online program used in the study aimed to bolster five key coping skills:- Taking care of personal needs. This involves shifting from focusing totally on the partner’s problem to focusing on a woman’s own needs and emotional health, says Rychtarik. Women were encouraged to build up their social network, work on personal goals and make time for fun activities.
- Managing negative thinking. “Initially, some negative thinking (e.g., ‘I hate him,’ ‘he doesn’t love me’) is a normal reaction to the problems arising from living with a partner with an alcohol use disorder,” says Rychtarik. But continually agonizing over such thoughts is counterproductive. Women were given tips on how to reduce the intensity of negative thinking.
- Solving problems effectively. Successful problem solving involves several steps: defining the problem clearly, generating possible solutions, considering likely consequences, picking a solution to try and evaluating how well it works. Women were led through the process step by step.
- Communicating clearly and consistently. Good communication often boils down to talking about problems in a caring but firm manner, says Rychtarik. Women were shown how to clearly state a problem, state its effect on her and request a specific change in her partner’s behavior.
- Using functional analysis. This involves examining the short-term and long-term consequences of different responses to a partner’s drinking. Rychtarik says, “For example, in the short term, yelling and cussing out the partner about coming home intoxicated may, in a way, be positively reinforcing. It lets out a lot of angry feelings, resulting in some immediate, short-term release.” But in the long run, it’s not very helpful. Women were given tips on gauging long-range consequences and using that information to guide their choices.
