Social correlates of advanced alcoholism and effect of counselling. A paired controlled analysis of 50 patients with a contrast group.
Fifty patients with advanced alcoholism and physical disease were investigated in a paired control study to determine some social indices particular to subjects with their condition. Also assessed was the usefulness of confrontation as a counseling procedure and whether patients with alcoholism in this study accepted referral to, or derived benefit from an outside agency specializing in the rehabilitation of subjects with alcoholism. Social indices which differed significantly between the experimental group and the control group were the number of siblings, marital history, the types of accommodation and a subjective estimate of pleasure derived from life. Indices which did not differ included country of origin, broken home, education, number of children and income. Confrontational counseling and attempts at referral seemed ineffective. It is suggested that the low success rate in the treatment of patients with alcoholism in this study may have been due to the selection of subjects with advanced alcohol-related physical diseases.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012961:Sociology