The MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale: severity of alcohol abuse and parental alcoholism

The MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC), an empirically derived MMPI scale, appears to measure a relatively stable trait common to many alcoholics. The present study examined the relationship between the MAC and two potentially important sources of variation within an alcoholic population, severity of alcohol abuse and history of parental alcoholism. Study participants included 105 consecutive admissions to an alcoholism day treatment program. For both male and female patients, scores on the MAC were found to correlate with the severity of alcohol abuse and factor analytically derived subscales of the MAC were found to differentiate alcoholics with and without a history of parental alcoholism.