Baseline Differences in Social Support Among Treatment-Seeking Alcoholics With and Without Social Phobia

Differences on demographics and seven measures of social support between matched, treatment-seeking alcoholics with and without social phobia (SP and NSP groups, respectively) were examined. The groups did not differ on most demographic variables, although the SP group (n = 397) had a lower occupational status and had fewer years of education (both p's <.01) than the NSP group (n = 397). On social support measures, the SP group had less perceived social support from friends and had a lower performance on the social behavior role scale than the NSP group (both p's <.001). The two groups were unexpectedly more similar than different on the measures of interest in this study; however, the differences identified are meaningful for treatment planning. It is important to ascertain the quantity and sources of social support which are available to these clients in order to maximize positive treatment outcomes.