HIGH-RATES OF ALCOHOL-PROBLEMS AND HISTORY OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE AMONG WOMEN INPATIENTS

A total of ss consecutive new women patients were surveyed on an adult psychiatric inpatient unit which did not have a specific program for the treatment of alcoholics. Those with a self-reported history of phy sical and/or sexual abuse had significantly higher scores on the Michi gan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) than those with no such history. Former drinkers and teetotalers were more likely to have been both phy sically and sexually abused than the others. Thirty-three patients (38 %) reported a history of alcohol problems measured by scores of seven or more on the MAST, but only 20 had a diagnosis of alcohol abuse or a lcohol dependence made by a psychiatrist.