TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1995//
TI  - Incidence and characteristics of spinal cord injured patients with a family history of alcoholism
JO  - Journal of studies on alcohol
A1  - Schandler, S. L.
A1  - Cohen, M. J.
A1  - Vulpe, M.
A1  - Frank, S. E.
SP  - 522
EP  - 527
VL  - 56
IS  - 5
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Of the many factors that affect the occurrence of and rehabilitation from spinal cord injury, alcohol use and abuse are particularly prominent. Persons with a family history of alcoholism are at greater risk for alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Preliminary data show a much higher than normal proportion of these persons in the spinal cord injured population. If these data are reliable, they may show that family history of alcoholism is a premorbid or comorbid factor to the occurrence of accidents that results in catastrophic injuries. Our investigation represented an evaluation of this premise. METHOD: Male volunteer subjects (N = 100) were selected from inpatient and outpatient populations of a Veterans Affairs spinal cord injury service. Subjects received a comprehensive interview and completed two standardized questionnaires and a general information form designed to evaluate their past and present use of alcohol and the use of alcohol by their parents and relatives. RESULTS: The incidence (45%) of spinal cord injured patients with a family history of alcoholism was over four times that found in the general population. Spinal cord injured subjects with a family history of alcoholism reported significantly more problems with alcohol before, at the time of, and after their injury. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest a relationship between the predisposition to alcoholism and accidents that result in catastrophic injury.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0096-882X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -