n effect for the Marital Status variable with results indicating that alcohol usage slowly increases from married to single to divorced to widowed. In other words, widows have the highest levels of alcohol consumption and married women have the lowest levels of alcohol consumption.
Of the elderly alcoholic, Schuckit (1982) states that:
The older alcoholic rarely fits the stereotype of alcoholism, tends to report stable early life adjustment, presents with restricted areas of alcohol-related pathology, and is likely to drink only five to six days per week with an intake of four to five drinks/occasion. (p.396)
Zimering and Domeischel (1992) have pointed out that alcoholism is a problem that affects around six percent of the population. The authors further note that recent evidence has shown that an alarming number of elderly people are becoming dependent on alcohol. This problem of alcoholism in older populations has dire consequences.
For example, Schuckit (1982) reports that alcohol intake can precipitate mental problems, especially confusion, even in nonalcoholic older individuals whose drinking behavior is not at all often. Further, Schuckit states that alcoholism is seen in 15 percent or more of older patients presenting to psychiatrists with psychopathology ranging from depression to acute psychotic states.
Another consequence of alcoholism in the elderly is that it can exacerbate existing mental conditions. This was seen in a study by Krystal, Leaf, Bruce and Charney (1992) who evaluated the effects of aging and alcoholism histories on a sample of older people who suffered from panic disorder. Data were collected from 18,018 household respondents as part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study.
Reanalysis of ECA data provided support for a decline in the prevalence of panic disorder among elderly people. However, among those older people with panic disorder who had a history of alcohol abu...