| Abstract: | Reviews the results of selected studies by the authors (1969, 1970, and 1973) on 5,000 patients undergoing treatment for alcoholism. Findings support a multidimensional perspective of alcoholism. Data on the covariations among self-reported symptoms and other drinking-related variables indicate 15 psychometrically independent 1st-order factors and 5 broad 2nd-order dimensions. These factors provide reliable operational definitions of alcoholism that correspond to different constructs and have different relations to variables reflecting etiology, personality, treatment outcome, and life-span development. These factors provide a basis for the diagnosis of a variety of alcohol-related problems and for the design of effective programs of therapy. It is concluded that future research on alcohol abuse should be based on multivariate measurement. (71 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
