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Alcoholic women in fertile age treated at an alcohol clinic
Author(s) -
Hollstedt C.,
Dahlgren L.,
Rydberg U.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1983.tb00341.x
Subject(s) - medicine , population , proband , psychiatry , alcohol , alcohol consumption , alcohol dependence , demography , pediatrics , environmental health , biochemistry , chemistry , sociology , mutation , gene
‐ The consumption of alcohol by women in Sweden is strongly increasing, especially in younger individuals. Since the re‐discovery of the teratological properties of alcohol most of the studies concerning foetal alcohol damage in man have covered female skid row alcoholics. This investigation describes the medical and social characteristics of a group of women ( n = 92) receiving inpatient care for alcoholism compared with an age‐matched control group, in relation to obstetrical history. The conditions in the control group were in accord with those of the general population. Social problems and degree of alcoholism were noticeably advanced among the pro‐bands. The proband women who gave birth after established regular alcohol consumption were younger, showed more psychiatric complications during the treatment period, had started drinking and developing signs of advanced alcoholism earlier in life compared with probands who gave birth before established regular alcohol consumption. They also exhibited more social disturbances. The social problems caused by the mothers’alcohol abuse are expected to aggravate the biological consequences to their children.