Decreased risk of alcohol dependence and/or misuse in women with high self-assertiveness and leadership abilities.

AIMS: To analyse dimensions of gender identity and its association to psychiatric disorders and alcohol consumption. METHODS: The study was performed in two stages: an initial screening (n = 8335) for alcohol consumption, followed by a structured psychiatric interview (n = 1054). The Masculinity/Femininity-Questionnaire was used as an indicator of gender identity. The final study group included 836 women. RESULTS: Leadership, caring, self-assertiveness and emotionality were dimensions of gender identity found in a factor analysis. Low self-assertiveness, high emotionality and to some extent low leadership were associated with increased odds for having bipolar disorders, severe anxiety disorders and alcohol dependence and misuse. Low self-assertiveness and high emotionality were not only associated with alcohol dependence and misuse, but also with high episodic drinking. CONCLUSIONS: There was an association between some of the dimensions of gender identity and psychiatric disorders and alcohol consumption. Further attention is needed in both clinical work and research.

[The Gothenburg study of women and alcohol: low occurrence of abuse--increase appears to have abated]. / Studie i Göteborg om kvinnor och alkohol: låg förekomst av missbruk--ökningen förefaller ha avklingat.

Prevalence of alcohol dependence and abuse (ADA) was determined in a cohort of women selected by stratified random sampling from the general population in Gothenburg. A questionnaire was administered to 3,130 women and 399 were interviewed. Questions were asked about social background, living conditions, family and working life. Volume and frequency of alcohol intake were recorded, and diagnoses were made according to DSM-III. We found that the one-year prevalence of ADA was 1.5 percent and the life time prevalence 3.3 percent. In a follow-up five years after base-line, the prevalence of ADA was unchanged, while indicators of high alcohol consumption and high episodic drinking showed reduced levels of problem drinking.

[The Gothenburg study of women and alcohol: problems during childhood and adolescence important risk factors]. / Studie i Göteborg om kvinnor och alkohol: problem under barn- och ungdomsåren en stor riskfaktor.

This is a part of longitudinal study concerning women and alcohol in Gothenburg. The aim was to find out more about risk factors for alcohol dependence and abuse (ADA) among women in the general population, as well as social conditions and life style among these women. Several indicators of dissatisfactory childhood conditions, and particularly sexual abuse before age 13, were related to ADA in adulthood. Early substance abuse, such as having been intoxicated before age 15 and having used narcotics before 18, was strongly related to future ADA. Our findings point to the need of paying attention to mental health problems in childhood and youth, and to prevent early use of alcohol and drugs.

Drinking patterns among Swedish women: results from a 5-year follow-up of a population-based study.

The aims of this study were to: (1) document women's alcohol use over a 5-year period; (2) compare different measures of alcohol consumption such as high alcohol consumption (HAC) and high episodic drinking (HED); (3) to follow the incidence and course of alcohol dependence and abuse (ADA). The study is part of a longitudinal general population-based study, Women and Alcohol in Göteborg. From a stratified random sample of 479 respondents, 399 were interviewed in the first wave (1989/90). In the second wave (1995/96), 386 of the 479 women were available for a follow-up interview. The 12-month prevalence of ADA was 1.3% in both waves. In the longitudinal analysis the 5-year cumulative incidence of ADA was 0.1%. Two new cases of ADA were found. The prevalence of HAC and HED decreased in women of all ages except HED in women born in 1955. We conclude that the 12-month prevalence of ADA remained the same at the 5-year follow-up and that, in contrast to what has been found in some other studies, there was an overall decrease in HAC and in HED.

Women's alcohol dependence and abuse: the relation to social network and leisure time.

The aim of this study was to analyse the occurrence of alcohol dependence and abuse in relation to variables reflecting social network and leisure time, social class, education, occupation and family conditions. The study was based on the second wave of interviews performed within the longitudinal study of Women and Alcohol in Göteborg. In this present study we analysed 416 face-to-face interviews performed in 1995 96. Women with only one or no friends for support had higher rates of alcohol dependence and abuse than did women with more friends. Women with high rates of alcohol dependence or abuse did not take part in cultural events as much as women with low rates of alcohol dependence and abuse. Women with homemaking skills and gardening as leisure time interests had lower prevalences of alcohol dependence and abuse. In general, women with diagnoses of alcohol dependence and abuse in this population-based sample were not alone and without a social network. However, their pattern of activity differed slightly from those without such diagnoses. The association between women with alcohol dependence and abuse and leisure time activities is probably circular: a poor social network and low participation in social activities increase the risk of alcohol dependence and abuse, and alcohol dependence and abuse lead to low participation in social activities.

Abuse of and dependence on alcohol in Swedish women: role of education, occupation and family structure.

The present study, which is part of a multipurpose study on alcohol use among women, focuses on the association between education, occupation, family structure and development of alcohol dependence or abuse in women. A total of 316 women were selected by stratified random sampling from all women in a defined part of Gothenburg, Sweden. In a face to face interview, questions were asked about occupation, education, family structure and other variables reflecting socioeconomic conditions and relations within the family. As outcome measures we used alcohol dependence and abuse (ADA), diagnosed in a clinical interview according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition-Revised (DSM-III-R). We found that never having been married, or having poor communication with the spouse, as well as having no children at home to take care of, were strongly associated with ADA in women. The role of social class depended on whether education or occupation was used as a measure. Our findings are compatible with the hypothesis that development of alcohol-related problems among women to a large extent is influenced by matters that relate to home and private life.