A Typology of Alcoholism in Taiwan, Aborigines: A Study on Evolving Process of Community Cases

• Published in: Psychopathology Vol. 25; no. 6; pp. 311 - 318
• Main Authors: Hwu, Hai-Gwo, Chen, Chu-Chang, Yeh, Ling-Ling
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland Karger 1992
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcohol Drinking - physiopathology; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Alcoholism - ethnology; Alcoholism - physiopathology; Alcoholism - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Continental Population Groups; Female; Humans; Interview, Psychological; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Oceanic Ancestry Group - psychology; Original Paper; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Taiwan; Asia; Taiwan; Social environment; Human; Attitude; Social interaction; Alcoholism; Cultural environment; Family environment; Nosology; Familial relation
• ISSN: 0254-4962; 1423-033X
• DOI: 10.1159/000284788

Thirty-one habitual drinkers with a personal, familial, social complication were screened from a Taiwan aborigine community. Each was given an in-depth descriptive semistructured interview. The interview, recorded with audiotape, contained 4 aspects: (1) personal developmental history; (2) family structure and interaction; (3) developmental process and current state of drinking behavior, and (4) attitude toward drinking behavior. Based on the evolving process and current state of drinking behavior, three process patterns of alcoholism were defined: (1) social deveopmental type (67.7%); (2) deviant behavioral type (9.7%), and (3) special constitutional type (22.6%).