Psychological distress among female spouses of male at-risk drinkers.
The consequences of alcoholism on the mental health of spouses of lifetime at-risk drinkers are only known from studies on alcoholics already in treatment. A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from a Quebec community health survey. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, our goal was to ascertain the mental health of female spouses living with a male lifetime at-risk drinker. Secondly, we wanted to examine the relationship between male lifetime at-risk drinkers (aged 30-54 years) and the psychological distress of their nondrinking female spouses. Lifetime at-risk drinking, for the purposes of this study, was defined as having at least two positive answers to the CAGE questionnaire. Couples wherein both spouses were deemed not at-risk for problem drinking by the CAGE instrument (0 or 1 positive answer) formed the control group. Psychological distress was measured using the Indice de Détresse Psychologique de l'Enquête Santé Québec (Préville, M., Boyer, R., Potvin, L., Perreault, C., & Légaré, G. (1992). La détresse psychologique: détermination de la fiabilité et de la validité de la mesure utilisée dans l'enquête Santé Québec. Cahier de recherches #7, Montréal, Santé Québec.). It measures symptoms of anxiety, depression, aggressivity, and cognitive impairments. Scores of >or=22 (out of 100) were indicative of a high level of psychological distress. This study confirmed higher levels of psychological distress in female spouses of male lifetime at-risk drinkers in the general population. An exploratory study examined the association between the psychological distress of female spouses and each of the following nine independent variables: male partner lifetime at-risk drinker, stressful life events, job situation, socioeconomic status, perceived health status, presence of children less than 15 years, length of the marital relationship, presence of a confidant, and availability of social support. Lifetime at-risk drinking is a risk factor for the spouse's psychological distress. An examination of the demographic characteristics related to alcohol intake in male lifetime at-risk drinkers is also described in this study.
Tempier
Raymond
R
Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan, Royal University Hospital, 103 Hospital Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 0W8. raymond.tempier@usask.ca
Boyer
Richard
R
Lambert
Jean
J
Mosier
Karen
K
Duncan
C Randy
CR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004651:Employment; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology