The role of female occupation in severity of alcohol-related problems

This study investigated whether occupational class is related to the severity of problems associated with alcohol abuse in females. Sixty-six female alcoholic inpatients at a private psychiatric hospital were studied. Of these women, 31 were workers (working at the time of admission), 18 were unemployed workers (unemployed at admission but had worked most of their adult lives), and the remaining 17 were homemakers. Problem severity was assessed for 66 alcoholic women using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), a standardized clinical interview. A questionnaire assessing the degree of occupational stress experienced was also administered. Employment problem severity ratings from the ASI differed significantly across the three occupation subgroups [F(2,63) = 10.99, p less than .05]; the unemployed workers reported more severe employment problems than did either the workers [t(63) = 3.07, p less than .05] or homemakers [t(63) = 4.77, p less than .05]. There were no significant differences between the three groups on the other five ASI dimensions. A cluster analysis on ASI severity ratings revealed a trend for workers to have family and psychological problems in addition to alcoholism. This seems not to have had an impact on wanting a job change; significantly more homemakers (z = 4.77, p less than .05) and unemployed workers (z = 4.56, p less than .05) than workers wanted a job change.