Heterogeneity in DSM-5 Symptom Criteria: Phenotypes of Alcohol Use Disorder in a Sample Seeking Alcohol Treatment

Aims: This study sought to identify phenotypic variations among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) that may, in part, help improve the effectiveness of existing AUD interventions. Methods: Latent class analysis was conducted to examine the potential heterogeneity of AUD in a sample (N = 220; M-age = 51.19 years, standard deviation = 9.94; 37.7% female) of treatment-seeking participants diagnosed with AUD using DSM-5 criteria. Results and Conclusions: Three distinct patterns of responses to the 11 DSM-5 AUD symptoms emerged: Class 1 (n = 114, 51.8%), Class 2 (n = 78, 35.5%) and Class 3 (n = 28, 12.7%). The identified profiles were further differentiated by demographics, alcohol-related constructs, individual difference characteristics and diagnostic and treatment variables. The findings have implications for refining AUD assessment as well as optimizing personalized treatment.