Alcoholism and Marriage. A Review of Research and Professional Literature

Abstract

The state of current knowledge in the field of alcoholism and marriage is appraised, research methodology is examined, and needs for future research are pointed out. Alcoholics have a high rate of broken marriages, but many are living with their spouses. Psychiatric case studies of the wives of alcoholics have described their personal pathology, and the hypothesis that women undergoing similar experiences of stress will manifest common patterns of maladjustment has been tested. Further research needs to integrate psychodynamic and sociological (stress theory) approaches, to correct selectivity of sampling, and to employ control groups in order to determine the specifics of the alcoholic marriage.