Growing interest in alcohol and human sexuality revealed in the literature from 1941?1980

Abstract

An extensive search of the literature on alcohol and human sexual behavior from 1941–1980 identified 496 citations, consisting of 422 (85%) English language and 74 (15%) foreign language articles. Content of the citations fell into three inductively derived categories: (a) material examining the psychological and physiological effects of alcohol on sexual function, (b) material on sexual problems of alcoholics, and (c) a composite category of social problems and cultural issues (e.g. sexual deviance, cross-cultural studies). The literature during this period showed a gradual but consistent increase in citations, culminating in a dramatic increase in the 1970s. The materials came from publications of various research and clinical disciplines with no one type of reader having access to the majority of the literature. The problem of access to this widely diverse literature was compounded by the fact that complete translations of the foreign language articles were virtually not available. Finally, the citations examined here focused to a greater extent on males than females.