Sex Differences in Help‐seeking for Alcohol Problems—2. Entry into Treatment

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Summary: A sample of 25 men and 25 women, referred to a specialist alcohol clinic, was interviewed to obtain information about perceptions of the ‘barriers’ to treatment entry and of the events and circumstances seen as influencing decisions to attend the clinic. A semi‐structured interview schedule was used and interviews were tape recorded. Perceptions of the ‘barriers’ to treatment were described in an earlier paper. This paper reports on patients' accounts of the part played by life events and difficulties, and by other people on clinic attendance. Current difficulties, affecting patients at the time of entry into treatment are described and patients' perceptions of the main reason for treatment entry are reported. The study indicates that few patients had accepted referral to the clinic primarily because they wanted to change their drinking behaviour. Rather they hoped to alleviate other problems in their lives. Some differences were found between men and women in their experiences of life events in the preceding 12 months but not in their perceptions of the influence of life events on decisions to seek help. There were also some sex differences in the reporting of current difficulties in the main reason for treatment entry and in perceptions of the influence of others on clinic attendance.

This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit: