Relationship between prevalence of alcohol problems and socioeconomic conditions among Oklahoma Native Americans

Oklahoma Indian tribes are ranked according to five problem drinking indicators and five socioeconomic indices. The relationship between the tribes' prevalence of alcohol problems and socioeconomic conditions is examined. Unfavorable socioeconomic conditions predicted high rates of alcohol problems, but more favorable conditions did not predict low rates. Social controls may be more important than socioeconomic conditions in controlling alcohol problems among Oklahoma Native Americans. In a previously published study we found that Native American tribes in Oklahoma varied dramatically in the extent to which they suffered from alcohol problems. In this followup study we have sought explanation for these large differences by comparing the socioeconomic conditions of the tribes to their rates of alcohol related problems. The relationship between socioeconomic conditions and alcohol problems has received considerable attention in the literature. Popham, et. al. found that when the price of beverage alcohol relative to average disposable (real) income is high, indices of alcohol consumption and alcoholism are usually low, and vice versa. In a similar vein, Edwards et. al. suggested that alcoholism is likely to increase the risk of death more in upperclass than in lowerclass alcoholics. On the other hand, others have blamed economic deprivations for high rates of problem drinking, especially among disadvantaged minorities. Price suggested that Indian societies which had little access to economic opportunities have more drinking problems than those with great access. Caravedo found that socioeconomic deprivation is a primary factor in both the etiology and the medical consequences of alcoholism.