Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychological traits of alcohol abuse group through psychological assesment. The subjects were 56 male alcoholic patients who were admitted to Ewha Womens University Hospital Neuropsychiatric department from January 1994 to June 1997 and 56 male control group. Alcoholic patient group was diagnosed as alcohol dependence according to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The psychological assessment involved State-Trait Inventory., Ewha Diagnostic Test of Defense Mechanism Test and Minesota Muthiphtic Personality Inventory. The results showed that the alcohol abuse group had significantly higher Trait-Anxiety Score than the normal control group as well as in projection, displacement, acting-out, dissociation, somatization., passive-aggressive, identification and regression defense mechanisms with Ewha .Defense Mechanism Test(EDMT). MMPI subscales were presented within normal range but alcohol abuse group exhibited significantly higher than normal control goup along the F, 1 to 10 subscales, scale 6 being the highest and lower K scale. These results indicated that the alcohol abuse group have trait-anxiety, unstable and self-denial defense mechanisms as trait factors, and paranoid tendency towards interpersonal relationship as a psychological state. Therefore, it is suggested that these psychological traits and state factors could bring negative effects to therapeutic relationship.