ABSTRACT

Forty-five married, male alcoholics who were hospitalized in an alcoholism rehabilitation ward and their wives were asked to complete a prepared questionnaire concerning their parents, spouses and children, and were then interviewed individually concerning their marital situation. Problem drinking (with alcohol dependence strongly suspected) was present in 55.6% of the subjects' parents, while in the spouses' parents it was noted in 24.4% (50% of fathers). This prevalence of problem drinking is far higher than those expected from epidemiological studies in Japan.

Spouses whose fathers had evidence of problem drinking had a higher tendency of “passivity” and “withdrawal” regarding their selection of spouse and marital relationships, had a stronger tendency to be the major breadwinner in the family and had more complaints about their mental and physical health than spouses from nonalcoholic families.