Some Role Perceptions of Wives of Alcoholics

Abstract

In field of alcoholism and personality there are a n~unber of studies whose focus on the as a factor in her husband's alcoholism implies that of have attitudinal and personality characteristics in common, i.e., are a unitary group. Further, literature suggests that these similar attitudes and personality characteristics may play a part in onset and/or resolution of husband's deviant drinking (Ballard, 1959; Futterman, 1953; Igersheimer, 1959; Kalashian, 1959; Lewis, 1954; Macdonald, 1958; Mitchell, 1959; Price, 1945; Whalen, 1953). There are two separate implications to be considered. If wife is a factor in her husband's becoming alcoholic, there should be demonstrable differences between whose husbands were or are alcoholic and those whose husbands have had no drinking problem. If wife plays an important role in whether or not her husband's alcoholism is resolved, it is anticipated that whose husbands have achieved sobriety successfully would differ from those whose husbands continue to drink. The study reported here derives from a more comprehensive research program, still in progress, which provides for assessment of wife's role in both onset and resolution of alcoholism, by examining a control group of comparable families without alcoholism, and by making comparisons noted above. The present investigation was concerned with examining empirically two questions which have bearing on wife's role in resolution of alcoholism. Are there demonstrable differences between attitudes of whose husbands have achieved sobriety successfully and those whose husbands have not? Can wives of alcoholics be considered as a unitary group, having certain characteristic attitudes in common? Forty Ss were drawn from roster of women who had attended at least one meeting of Alanon Family Groups in Seattle between 1952 and 1959. Their mean age was 41.4 yr.; range, 25 to 65. Twenty women (the AA Group) had husbands who had remained abstinent for more than 12 consecutive months (range of sobriety 14 mo. to 14 yr., mean 6.5 yr.); 20 women (the A Group) had husbands who were still active alcoholics. Participation in Alanon program was essentially same for A and AA wives.