Female alcohol dependence: psychosocial background, drinking history, and barriers to treatment

The problem of this nonexperimental, descriptive survey was to describe the psychosocial background factors, drinking history, and the barriers to treatment of females attending Alcoholics Anonymous. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 32 females attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The major findings of the study were that alcohol dependent females were likely to have experienced sexual, mental, and/or physical abuse; early life family disruptions; and alcohol/drug abuse and psychiatric illnesses in their families of origin. Also, alcohol was likely to be consumed on a daily basis and in conjunction with other drugs. Factors which prevented alcohol treatment entry were a lack of financial and social resources and the possibility of job loss. Psychosocial characteristics, drinking patterns, and barriers to treatment of alcohol dependent females were identified which may be used to plan more specific prevention and treatment strategies.