Future caregivers' views on alcoholism treatment. A poor prognosis.

Abstract

A mail questionnaire survey was conducted in 1979 of 11,076 graduate students enrolled in 7 major schools of nursing, medicine, counseling and social work in the Boston [Massachusetts, USA] area. Although most of the respondents were exposed to some type of alcohol education and agreed with the disease concept of alcoholism, many expressed some reluctance to treat problem drinkers and agreed with negative stereotypes of alcoholics. In general, the respondents had little faith in an alcoholic''s ability to overcome his problems and believed that there were few good therapeutic resources for alcoholism treatment.