Treatment Professionals' Basic Beliefs About Alcohol Use Disorders: The Impact of Different Cultural Contexts

The treatment of alcohol abusers in different cultural contexts does not depend only on the methods used but also on the ways in which treatment providers perceive the problem and relate to their clients.

This study compares treatment professionals' basic beliefs about alcohol use disorders in two culturally different European countries to find out to what extent these ideas are shaped by the respondents' socio-cultural context, profession, and other background variables.

Similar postal surveys were conducted among professionals working in specialized addiction treatment units in Finland (n = 520) and France (n = 472). The data were analyzed by descriptive statistical methods and logistic regression analysis.

Consistent cultural differences were found in almost all the questions asked and they remained significant even after controlling for the other background factors. The French professionals emphasized the addictiveness of alcohol more than their Finnish colleagues. They also believed less in the chances of recovery and attributed more responsibility for the problem to external factors, while the Finns emphasized individual responsibility. Profession, gender and some other background variables also modified beliefs about specific questions.

Cultural factors shape the ways in which alcohol use disorders are perceived more pervasively than the other background variables. The French professionals' low trust in treatment and the Finnish professionals' lack of concern for the addiction potential of alcohol and stronger tendency to regard the person as responsible for the problem could be seen as potential impediments to effective ways of helping alcohol abusers in these countries.