TY - JOUR
T1 - The time course of development of alcohol-related problems in men and women
AU - Schuckit, M. A.
AU - Anthenelli, R. M.
AU - Bucholz, K. K.
AU - Hesselbrock, V. M.
AU - Tipp, J.
PY - 1995/1/1
Y1 - 1995/1/1
N2 - Objective: A predictable sequence of alcohol-related problems has been hypothesized to be applicable to the clinical course of alcoholism. However, few recent data are available on this question. Method: The age of first occurrence of 44 alcohol-related life experiences was determined for 478 DSM- III-R defined alcohol-dependent (alcoholic) individuals (317 men and 161 women), and for 444 drinking but not alcohol dependent subjects (183 men and 261 women). Data were gathered through personal interviews with alcohol- dependent subjects and their relatives using a structured psychiatric interview (SSAGA). Results: A high level of similarity (Spearman's rho = .81, p = .0004) was found for the retrospective reports of the order of appearance of alcohol related problems between the present sample and an analysis of 636 alcoholic male inpatients who participated in a prior study. Within the present group of 478 alcoholics, the order of appearance of alcohol-related problems was similar for men and women (rho = .84, p <.0001), and the time course of development of problems was similar for treated and untreated alcoholic subgroups (rho = .86, p < .001). Analyses of 19 alcohol-related life experiences in 444 drinking but not alcohol-dependent individuals indicated an overall rank order for occurrence of problems similar to those observed for alcohol-dependent individuals (rho = .76, p < .001). Conclusions: These data corroborate the high level of predictability regarding the order of occurrence of major alcohol-related life problems among alcohol-dependent men and women, extending the previous findings to women with alcohol dependence and to alcoholics who have never received inpatient treatment.
AB - Objective: A predictable sequence of alcohol-related problems has been hypothesized to be applicable to the clinical course of alcoholism. However, few recent data are available on this question. Method: The age of first occurrence of 44 alcohol-related life experiences was determined for 478 DSM- III-R defined alcohol-dependent (alcoholic) individuals (317 men and 161 women), and for 444 drinking but not alcohol dependent subjects (183 men and 261 women). Data were gathered through personal interviews with alcohol- dependent subjects and their relatives using a structured psychiatric interview (SSAGA). Results: A high level of similarity (Spearman's rho = .81, p = .0004) was found for the retrospective reports of the order of appearance of alcohol related problems between the present sample and an analysis of 636 alcoholic male inpatients who participated in a prior study. Within the present group of 478 alcoholics, the order of appearance of alcohol-related problems was similar for men and women (rho = .84, p <.0001), and the time course of development of problems was similar for treated and untreated alcoholic subgroups (rho = .86, p < .001). Analyses of 19 alcohol-related life experiences in 444 drinking but not alcohol-dependent individuals indicated an overall rank order for occurrence of problems similar to those observed for alcohol-dependent individuals (rho = .76, p < .001). Conclusions: These data corroborate the high level of predictability regarding the order of occurrence of major alcohol-related life problems among alcohol-dependent men and women, extending the previous findings to women with alcohol dependence and to alcoholics who have never received inpatient treatment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0028958172&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.15288/jsa.1995.56.218
DO - 10.15288/jsa.1995.56.218
M3 - Article
C2 - 7760569
AN - SCOPUS:0028958172
VL - 56
SP - 218
EP - 225
JO - Journal of Studies on Alcohol
JF - Journal of Studies on Alcohol
SN - 0096-882X
IS - 2
ER -