Functional exercise capacity is associated with global functioning in patients with alcohol use disorder.

This study explored whether the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score is associated with the functional exercise capacity among inpatients with alcohol use disorders (AUD). 45 (32 men) inpatients (41.1 ± 13.2 years, range = 18-70 years) performed a 6-minute walk test (6 MWT), a standing broad jump (muscle strength) and were assessed with several questionnaires. The GAF-score correlated significantly with the 6 MWT-score (Pearson's r = 0.47, p = 0.002). Variance in illness duration (11.1 ± 11.0 years) explained 27.9% of the GAF-score (50.8 ± 8.0) variance. Variance in GAF and muscle strength (148.3 ± 44.8 cm) explained 50.9% of the 6 MWT-score (638.2 ± 77.6 m) variance. Future research should explore whether improving the functional exercise capacity improves global functioning in this vulnerable population.