Citation

Venner KL, Miller WR. J. Stud. Alcohol 2001; 62(2): 158-165.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque 87131-1161, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11327182

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study tested the cross-cultural applicability of Jellinek's progression in a sample of Navajo men and women. Jellinek (1952) described a predictable progression of alcoholism that continues to be used widely in treatment, but it is unclear whether this pattern is consistent across cultures and genders. METHOD: The sample consisted of 99 Navajo (67 men and 32 women) who were undergoing detoxification in a secure facility. Participants were asked about the quantity and frequency of their drinking as well as other drinking experiences. Their level of cultural identification was also assessed. RESULTS: Of the 46 events established by Jellinek, the order of progression for the Navajo sample was modestly correlated (r(s) = .41, p = .005, 17% shared variance) with that for Jellinek's white men. The correlation of Jellinek's sample with the Navajo men was slightly larger (r(s) = .48, p = .001, 23% shared variance) than that of the whole sample; however, the comparison with Navajo women resulted in a near zero correlation (r(s) = .06, p = .705, 4% shared variance). CONCLUSIONS: In the context of studies from other cultures, these data suggest convergence decreases as the studied sample deviates culturally from Jellinek's sample of U.S. white men. These data question the cross-cultural applicability of this popular model of progression of alcoholism.

Language: en