THE ROLES OF LIFE EVENTS AND SUPPORT NETWORKS IN THE AETIOLOGY OF FEMALE ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE

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Abstract
Epidemiological research in medicine and psychiatry has recently illustrated the significance of life adjustment and adversity associated with life events in the development of illness. The present paper reports findings from a study of the predisposing and precipitating factors of alcohol dependence in women. Quantitative measures of distress and life change associated with life events experienced by a group of alcohol‐dependent women and a group of age‐matched control women are presented. The life events are further analyzed according to their classification as controllable or uncontrollable. It is proposed that life events have some aetiological significance in the development of female alcohol dependence. If it is assumed that some factors, such as a high level of distress and life change associated with life events, may predispose a woman to develop alcohol‐related problems, it must simultaneously be assumed that other factors may act to decrease the probability of the development of excessive drinking. One such factor that in more recent years has been recognized as an important mediator in the adjustment to distress is the existence of a social support network. This paper discusses the potential mediating role played by such networks. The paper also provides a brief description of the research design of the study, as well as the methods used in gathering the data.

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