EFFECTS OF SOCIAL CLASS ON DIAGNOSES OF ALCOHOLISM
In contemporary American society, the "use of certain substances to modify mood or behavior under certain circumstances is generally regarded as normal and appropriate. Such use includes recreational drinking of alcohol, in which a majority of adult Americans participate . . ." (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 165). Problems for most people develop when "maladaptive behavioral changes associated with the more or less regular use of psychoactive substances that affect the central nervous system" appear (p. 165).
Alcohol abuse and dependence, however, frequently is under diagnosed in the United States (Larson, 1991, p. 107). Many factors contribute to the explanation for the under diagnosis of alcoholism, and the combination of factors may vary according to both patient and clinician. One factor that has been associated with variations in diagnosing alcoholism is social class (Barthwell, 1995, p. 387). This research examines the effect that the social class of the patient hay have on a diagnosis of alcoholism.
Most previous research has emphasized the demographic variables associated with problem drinking, as opposed to the actual impact of a patient's social class on a diagnosis of alcoholism (Rush & Brennan, 1990, p. 42). Most "adults in the United States are light drinkers. About 35% abstain, 55% drink fewer that three alcoholic drinks a week, and only 11% consume an average of one ounce or more of alcohol a day" (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 173). The prevalence of drinking is highest and abstention lowest for both females and males in the 21-34 age range. Males are two-to-five times more likely than are females to be heavy drinkers, regardless of age group. The prevalence of heavy drinking among adults decreases with age; "only 7% of males and 2% of females are considered heavy drinkers" among persons aged 65 years or older (p. 173). Fo...