Linsky A S, Straus M A, Colby J P
J Stud Alcohol. 1985 Jan;46(1):72-80. doi: 10.15288/jsa.1985.46.72.
Bales's theory that sociostructural factors that produce stress for members of a society increase the rate of alcoholism is examined to explain variations in the levels of alcoholism in the 50 states. Two types of social stress are conceptualized and measured at the state level: The first, the "life events" model, is based on life changes that require adaptation. An index is described in which (negative) personal life events in 15 categories (e.g., divorce and plant closings) are aggregated for each state using macro measures. The second model is based on the idea of chronic stressful conditions, and is measured through the Measure of Status Integration and the Index of Relative Opportunities. Alcohol-related problems are measured by death rates for cirrhosis, alcoholism and alcoholic psychosis, and by per capita alcohol consumption. Both stressful events and stressful conditions are correlated with all indicators of alcoholism at the state level, 19 of 20 correlations being in the theoretically expected direction. Correlations are enhanced when age, urbanicity, the percentage of Blacks, low income and education are controlled for. The three macro measures of stress taken together explain 27% of the variation in cirrhosis death rates, 14% of the variation in alcoholism and alcoholic psychosis death rates and 47% of the variation in alcohol consumption rates.
贝尔斯的理论认为，那些给社会成员带来压力的社会结构因素会提高酗酒率，本文对这一理论进行了检验，以解释美国50个州酗酒水平的差异。在州层面上，两种社会压力被概念化并加以衡量：第一种是“生活事件”模型，它基于需要适应的生活变化。文中描述了一个指数，其中15类（如离婚和工厂关闭）的（负面）个人生活事件通过宏观指标汇总到每个州。第二种模型基于长期压力状况的理念，并通过地位整合度量和相对机会指数来衡量。与酒精相关的问题通过肝硬化、酗酒和酒精性精神病的死亡率以及人均酒精消费量来衡量。压力事件和压力状况在州层面上都与所有酗酒指标相关，20个相关性中有19个处于理论预期的方向上。在控制了年龄、城市化程度、黑人比例、低收入和教育程度后相关性增强。这三种压力宏观指标共同解释了肝硬化死亡率变化的27%、酗酒和酒精性精神病死亡率变化的14%以及酒精消费率变化的47%。
