NCJ Number
140813
Journal
Journal of Studies on Alcohol Volume: 50 Issue: 5 Dated: (1989) Pages: 406-413
Date Published
1989
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study that examined the interrelationships between DSM-III-based alcoholism diagnostic groups and depressive symptomatology for a sample of 461 convicted drunk-driving offenders.
Abstract
Ninety-two percent of the sample was male, and 8 percent was female. The majority (89 percent) of the offenders were white. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with each subject prior to the treatment evaluation by the clinical staff of the alcoholism treatment center. The interview focused on driving history, alcohol- use patterns, alcohol-related problems, and depressive symptomatology. These data were supplemented by information obtained from clinic admission records, which contained the self-report instruments that clients completed prior to any contact with either research or clinical staff. The highest rate of depressive symptomatology was reported by persons diagnosed as alcohol dependent, and such findings were robust across both male and female offenders; however, a significant interaction effect was found in which alcohol- dependent women reported higher levels of depressive symptomatology than alcohol-dependent men. With the exception that men reported significantly more previous drunk-driving arrests than women, few differences were found between the gender groups with respect to a range of demographic variables, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. 3 tables and 19 references