Sex differences in alcoholics: a comparison of male and femal alcoholics' self and spouse perceptions.

Self-perceptions of male and female alcoholics and the perception of them by their respective spouses were investigated in an attempt to study sex differences in alcoholics. The subjects were 20 male and 20 female hospitalized alcoholics and their spouses. Subjects were administered a modified Katz Adjustment Scale and the NIMH Mood Scale applied both to states of sobriety and intoxication. The results indicated that the female alcoholic is more likely to characterized by her spouse as guilty and depressed both in states of sobriety and intoxication than is the male alcoholic. The therapeutic implications of these and other findings are discussed.