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