NCJ Number
74399
Journal
Journal of Studies on Alcohol Volume: 39 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1978) Pages: 1948-1951
Date Published
1978
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the extent of alcoholism in a prison population and explored the relationship between alcoholism and depression.
Abstract
The study sample included 101 convicted felons at Eddyville Penitentiary, a maximum security unit for men in Kentucky; 34 subjects were black and 65 white. Mean age was 29.57; mean educational level, 10.5 years; and mean Intelligence Quotient (Wechsler) was 94.23. Over a 4-year period, the subjects were referred for psychological evaluations required prior to job placement and training and of other services. Scores on the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (SMAST) indicated the extent of alcoholism; these scores were related to scores on scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to determine the association with depression. The SMAST results showed that 46 inmates were nonalcoholics, 12 were possible alcoholics, and 43 were alcoholics. These findings are congruent with those of previous studies which used different criteria for alcoholism. Those classified as alcoholics obtained a higher mean MMPI Depression Scale T score than those who were considered nonalcoholics; the higher mean score suggests that alcoholics incarcerated for a long period of time tend to be more depression-prone and that this depression does not result solely from the short term effects of alcohol. Consistent with this generalization is the fact that the three MMPI scales correlating most highly with the SMAST are usually associated with neurotic manifestations: psychasthenia, social introversion, and depression. Related studies are reviewed, and nine references are included.