Psychological distress and adaptational problems associated with benzodiazepine withdrawal and outcome: A replication
Abstract
The aim of this study was to replicate and extend the findings of O'Connor, Bélanger, Marchand, Dupuis, Elie, and Boyer [Addict. Behav. 24 (1999) 537], which had established a psychosocial profile associated with psychological distress in benzodiazepine (BZD) use. Forty-one participants with anxiety or insomnia, receiving maintenance therapy of BZD for at least 8 weeks, participated in a 20-week, tapered discontinuation protocol with physician counselling. Drug type and use was monitored throughout. Questionnaire measures of anxiety, behavioural inhibition, neuroticism, withdrawal complaints, social support, psychological distress, self-efficacy in coping without BZD, quality of life, positive and negative life events, were completed at baseline, postdiscontinuation, and at 3-month follow-up. Measures of baseline psychological distress and anxiety inhibition were consistently associated with both discontinuation and the emergence of withdrawal complaints. Successful withdrawal was characterized by low baseline neuroticism, low behavioural inhibition, higher number of positive events, and higher level of social support satisfaction. Higher dosage (in diazepam equivalent dose) was associated with both poorer outcome and the emergence of withdrawal symptoms. Self-efficacy in coping was negatively associated with relapse but not with outcome. Psychosocial factors play a role at different stages of the BZD withdrawal process and could be targeted in treatment.
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The population of benzodiazepine patients in the retrieved studies is diagnostically heterogeneous.
“The population of benzodiazepine patients has been described as a “diagnostically heterogenous group,” which aligns with these results [30,36,40,55,59,65,67].”
From Long-term neurological consequences following benzodiazepine exposure: A scoping review (2025) · cites this paper as [59]
The most common indications for benzodiazepine use in the retrieved studies were insomnia, generalized anxiety disorder, and anxiety with or without panic attacks.
“The most common indications for benzodiazepine use in these studies were insomnia [30,36,40,55,59,67], generalized anxiety disorder [32,34,45,50,54,65,68], and anxiety with or without panic attacks [30,36,48,54,59,65]”
From Long-term neurological consequences following benzodiazepine exposure: A scoping review (2025) · cites this paper as [59]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- O'Connor, K. P., Marchand, A., Bélanger, L., Mainguy, N., Landry, P., Savard, P., Turcotte, J., Dupuis, G., Harel, F., & Lachance, L.
- Affiliations
- Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal (CA)
- Venue
- Addictive Behaviors
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2004-05
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 583-593
- ISSN
- 0306-4603 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2101881744
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 2.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Addictive Behaviors (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Keywords
- benzodiazepine withdrawal, psychological distress, benzodiazepine tapering, anxiety, insomnia, neuroticism, behavioral inhibition, social support, self-efficacy, relapse, quality of life, life events, withdrawal symptoms
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Benzodiazepines, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Male, Middle Aged, Prognosis, Recurrence, Social Support, Substance Withdrawal Syndrome, Reproducibility of Results, Panic Disorder, Self Efficacy
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