RESUMEN
Seventy-seven patients of Puerto Rican origin who had attempted suicide and were admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit of a general hospital were administered the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS), selected items of the Life Crisis Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Their scores on the SADS medical lethality and suicidal intent scales were in the minimal range, and their Beck inventory scores were in the mild range. Logistic regression analyses showed that alcohol and other substance abuse was a significant predictor of attempted suicide; place of birth (Puerto Rico versus the continental United States) was not.
Asunto(s)
Etnicidad , Intento de Suicidio/psicología , Adulto , Alcoholismo/diagnóstico , Alcoholismo/psicología , Trastorno Depresivo/diagnóstico , Trastorno Depresivo/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Inventario de Personalidad , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Puerto Rico/etnología , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/diagnóstico , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/psicología , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Alcoholic patients--183 Black Americans (62 women) and 132 Puerto Ricans (18 women)--at an inner-city alcoholism treatment program were surveyed using the Drinking History Questionnaire. Significantly more Puerto Rican men than Black men reported drinking distilled spirits, daily drinking, drinking in the morning to relieve a hangover, shakes when sobering up, blackouts when drinking, convulsions after a bout, psychoperceptual withdrawal symptoms and alcohol-related marital difficulties. Puerto Rican women were significantly older at the first time of drunkenness than the other groups. These women tended to drink at home daily and they reported a surprisingly high mean alcohol consumption. Significantly more Black women reported drinking to make friends. The tendency for Blacks to drink with their spouse, and to encourage their spouse to drink, was a major finding. This finding may have clinical implications for treatment and suggests that in lower class Black alcoholics a careful history of the drinking patterns of the spouse or living companion should be taken to determine the proper treatment approach.
Asunto(s)
Consumo de Bebidas Alcohólicas , Negro o Afroamericano/psicología , Hispánicos o Latinos/psicología , Áreas de Pobreza , Pobreza , Adaptación Psicológica , Adulto , Alcoholismo/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Ciudad de Nueva York , Puerto Rico/etnología , Factores Sexuales , Medio SocialRESUMEN
Some reports in the literature suggest a correlation between acceptance of traditional Latin American family values and alcoholism in Hispanic males. To examine the effects of traditional values on alcoholism, the authors surveyed 151 lower-class Puerto Rican alcoholics (126 males and 25 females), using a scale to measure Hispanic-American family values. The scores of these patients were compared with those of 116 lower-class Puerto Rican nonalcoholics (45 males and 71 females). A path model was constructed with alcoholism as the dependent variable, the Traditional Scale scores as an intervening variable, and demographic variables which may also influence alcoholism (such as sex, age, years of residence in the United States, education, and English ability) as independent variables. Overall, the findings show that traditionalism is a significant predictor of alcoholism, both directly and as an intervening variable in the relation between sex and alcoholism, and education and alcoholism. However, sex and years of residence in the United States were both stronger direct predictors of alcoholism than was traditionalism. These results support the hypothesis that the manifestations of alcoholism in lower-class Puerto Ricans are influenced by cultural attitudes.
Asunto(s)
Alcoholismo/epidemiología , Hispánicos o Latinos/psicología , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Alcoholismo/psicología , Características Culturales , Escolaridad , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Ciudad de Nueva York , Puerto Rico/etnología , Factores Sexuales , Valores Sociales , Factores SocioeconómicosRESUMEN
There have been suggestions in the literature of a link between acceptance of traditional Latin American family values and the development of psychopathology. To test this hypothesis, the author surveyed 117 lower-class Puerto Rican psychiatric patients, using a scale to measure Hispanic American family-related values. The scores of these patients were compared with those of lower- and middle-class Puerto Rican nonpatients. The data provided some evidence that in poorer immigrants psychiatric morbidity is accompanied by evidence of decreased adherence to Latin American family beliefs.