Social perceptions about alcoholics
Abstract
Background: Research among adults has yielded some conclusions about the stigma of mental illness. First, people with mental illness are stigmatised more severely than those with physical health conditions and those who abuse alcohol are viewed more harshly than those with mental illness. The aim of our study was to identify the stigma and self-stigmatisation in our cultural background regarding sex, level of drinking, the identity of an alcoholic, age and educational level.
Methods: A semi-structural questionnaire was applied to patients (n = 337), who were in outpatient clinic for treating alcoholism and patients from family medicine practice. We used t-test and factor analysis for the comparison of samples.
Results: Women had more negative social attributions and presumptions than men and were also more emphatic towards alcoholics. People without the identity of an alcoholic had more negative presumptions, there were more negative and positive presumptions with advanced age and less with a higher level of education. With a higher education there was also a higher level of empathy towards alcoholics.
Conclusions: In our cultural background we have a very high level of stigmatisation, that is higher than self-stigmatisation of alcoholics. The therapists involved in alcoholism treatment will have to change our own social presumptions about the stigma in general population, that will have an influence on some of our therapeutic interventions in the alcoholism treatment
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