NCJ Number
174958
Journal
Alcohol Health & Research World Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: 1996 Pages: 56-62
Date Published
1996
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Although women generally have been subjects of alcohol research less often than men, gender can be used as a defining characteristic in subtyping schemes, but whether the sexes actually differ in aspects of their alcoholism, such as in etiology and degree of severity, is not known.
Abstract
Analyzing a sample of male and female alcoholics using several different statistical methods, the researchers found men and women with either severe or mild forms of alcoholism differed little in their character profiles and etiologies. Men and women with moderately severe alcoholism, however, tended to differ with respect to co-occurring psychopathologies such as depression and antisocial personality and the degree to which they drank to relieve other conditions such as boredom. Findings suggest different forms of alcoholism treatment may be most effective for men and women with moderately severe alcoholism. As is the case with any subtyping scheme, this conclusion cannot be applied to the general population without further research. Profiles of the following four alcoholic subtypes are presented: low risk low severity, internalizers, externalizers, and high risk high severity. Gender similarities and differences within each subtype are noted, as well as considerations for intervention and treatment. 20 references and 2 tables