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Diagnostic interactions. Alcoholism and antisocial personality
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|February 1, 1983
Summary
Alcoholism is strongly linked to antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Individuals with ASPD are more susceptible to developing alcoholism, with gender and family history also being significant factors.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Addiction Medicine
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- The comorbidity of alcoholism and psychiatric disorders is a significant clinical and research challenge.
- Understanding the relationship between specific psychiatric conditions and alcoholism is crucial for effective treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between alcoholism and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in a medically hospitalized inpatient population.
- To determine if antisocial traits predict a higher prevalence and susceptibility to alcoholism, independent of overlapping symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a medically hospitalized inpatient sample.
- Assessment of alcoholism prevalence and diagnostic symptomatology.
- Comparison of alcoholism rates between individuals with and without antisocial personality traits, controlling for symptom overlap.
Main Results:
- A significant positive association was found between alcoholism and antisocial personality.
- Antisocial individuals exhibited a higher prevalence of alcoholism, even after controlling for shared diagnostic symptoms.
- Antisocial personality was linked to increased exposure to problem drinking and greater susceptibility to developing full-blown alcoholism.
Conclusions:
- Antisocial personality disorder is a significant risk factor for developing alcoholism.
- Factors such as gender and a family history of problem drinking also contribute to alcoholism risk.
- Further research into the characterological and neurophysiological correlates of ASPD is warranted to understand its relationship with problem drinking.