Coping Strategies of Alcoholic Women

Recent efforts have increased research on alcoholic women. Few studies have examined the coping mechanisms characteristic of alcoholic women relative to their nonalcoholic controls. Conforming to DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence, 159 alcoholic women stratified by race (black and white) and age (20-29, 30-39, and 40-49 years) were compared to 150 nonalcoholic women from a variety of public and private inpatient and outpatient treatment facilities regarding the types of coping strategies used. Alcoholic women were significantly more likely to favor maladaptive styles of coping, while nonalcoholic women employed significantly more problem-solving and emotion-based coping strategies. Neither race nor age differences significantly influenced the types of coping utilized by these women. The profile of coping strategies utilized by the alcoholic group is consistent with a poor quality of life and compounding of problems.