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Psychological Profile of Social Drinkers
Author(s) -
ROBSON PHILIP
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
british journal of addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0952-0481
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1989.tb00734.x
Subject(s) - psychology , alcohol abuse , psychological intervention , clinical psychology , depression (economics) , vulnerability (computing) , psychiatry , computer security , computer science , economics , macroeconomics
Summary In a cross‐sectional study, the psychological profile of light social drinkers was compared with that of heavy social drinkers and alcohol‐dependent patients who showed no evidence of clinical depression. The selection of psychological tests was based on the hypothesis that alcohol abuse and depression may sometimes be different expressions of the same disorder, and that the relationship between the two disorders may in pan be explicable in terms of shared psychological vulnerability factors. The tyests chosen were those thought most likely to predict vulnerability to depression. Dependent patients demonstrated significantly greater distortion of cognitive style than heavy social drinkers, who in turn rated significantly higher than light drinkers. Heavy social drinkers occupied a middle ground with regard to psychological profile between light drinkers and ‘alcoholics’, sharing some attributes with each. Possible implication for interventions by general practitioners are discussed.