Death anxiety, self-esteem, and locus of control in alcoholics.

Abstract

Studies in the field of alcoholism have produced inconsistent and contradictory results regarding the personality and belief dimensions of the alcoholic. To date, no singularly acceptable definition of the "typical" alcoholic exists. The problem of defining and treating alcoholics remains a significant issue for treatment professionals. In the present study, fifty-one male and female inpatient alcoholics were used to examine the relationships of death anxiety, self-esteem, and locus of control to alcoholics' perceptions of various treatment preferences, e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous, the alcohol-aversive drug, disulfiram, no preference, and preference for both Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and disulfiram. The results indicated that females had significantly higher death anxiety and significantly lower self-esteem scores than males. Further, male subjects preferring both, or neither, AA and disulfiram treatment had Rignificantly lower death anxiety scores than males preferring either treatment modality alone. Male subjects preferring disulfiram treatment were found to have significantly higher self-esteem scores than male subjects expressing preference for other treatment modalities. Additionally, male subjects were found to be significantly less willing to assign a locus of control to their behavior. It is anticipated that these results will have the beneficial effects of stimulating much needed further research on alcoholism as well as promoting better treatment strategies for alcoholics.