INTERACTION AMONG MEXICAN COUPLES WITH A DIFFERENT PATTERN OF ALCOHOL INTAKE AND THEIR RELATION WITH A FAMILY HISTORY OF ALCOHOLISM

Three groups of couples with a different intake pattern were studied: Anonimous Alcoholics (PAA) spouses of alcoholic patients (PPA) and couples with a moderate intake (PGC). The characteristic of the group is given by the intake pattern of men. All women had a moderate or abstinent intake pattern. The Health and Daily Life Instrument (SVC) was applied in order to find out the functioning of the couples at a family and social level, as well as that of their children. The intake pattern, the reasons for drinking and the family antecedents of alcohol intake were analyzed by means of the WHO's instrument (1982). The number of studied couples was n = 93,82 women and 93 men. The spouses of alcoholic patients still drinking (PPA) obtained the highest scores in physical symptomatology and health problems. in the five subscales of depression and depressive traits, as well as in the use of medicines. The spouses that obtained the lowest scores in all the scales were those of the PGC group. In this group, husbands obtained the lowest grades. When the clinical history of women was analyzed it was found that the husbands of a larger number of women with HF+ of alcohol, belonged to groups of Anonimous Alcoholics or Alcoholic patients; 56.5% of the spouses had HF+ antecedents. The studied spouses perceived their children as having more physical or emotional problems than problems caused by risky behaviors, such as alcohol, drugs or tabacco intake, which is coherent with the results obtained by other authors that believe that having alcoholic parents not necessarily lead the children to drink, but it is a risk for other types of psychological or emotional behaviors, caused by not knowing how to face the member of the family who drinks.