Aim of the study:
In this study, we aim to compare the proportion of anxiety and depression among spouses of males with alcohol use disorder with spouses of males without alcohol use disorder.

Subject or material and methods:
We conducted a comparative study on patients attending the general practice OPD of an urban tertiary care hospital. Two groups were taken – wives of men with alcohol use disorder (diagnosed by DSM-5) and wives of those without alcohol use disorder. A semi-structured questionnaire, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were administered.

Results:
: 58 women (38%) and 89 women (59%) married to men with alcohol use disorder reported depression and anxiety respectively, as opposed to 26 women (17%) and 58 women (38%) married to men without alcohol use disorder. The difference was significant with odds ratio of 3.01 and 2.31 respectively.

Discussion:
The rates found were comparable to previous similar studies. However, this study better elucidates the causality of psychiatric morbidity among spouses of men with alcohol dependence as it is a comparative study.

Conclusions:
Wives of men with alcohol use disorder show significantly higher rates of both depression and anxiety when compared with wives of men without alcohol use disorder. This increased psychiatric morbidity not only affects the individual, but the entire family unit, reduces effective participation in treatment and affects the overall quality of life of the family. Thus it is important to be vigilant about it and intervene in a timely manner.