Correlates of DSM-III-R alcohol dependence in treatment and general populations

This paper describes the correlates of DSM-III-R alcohol dependence in a general population and in a treatment sample. The frequency of drinking 5 or more drinks per occasion is the only significant predictor of alcohol dependence in the general population. This indicator of drinking plus being unemployed are the predictors of alcohol dependence in the treatment sample. Severity of dependence (as assessed by the number of dependence indicators reported) in the general population sample is positively associated with the frequency of drinking 5 or more drinks, with being younger, being unmarried and being a male. In the treatment sample the correlates are the frequency of drinking 5 or more drinks, being unemployed and being older. These results suggest that alcohol dependent individuals in the treatment sample are more severely dependent and more socially marginal than their counterparts in the general population.