Personality Coping Strategies and Family Interaction Pattern among Spouses of Male Alcoholics

Abstract

Alcoholism is one of the major health and social problems worldwide, which results in 3.3 newlinemillion deaths every year (WHO, 2018). Alcohol consumption is the world s third largest risk factor for several diseases and disabilities in the world today. Since India has the second largest population in the world the magnitude of the problem of Alcoholism is also very high in India. There is also an annual rise in the number of people who use alcohol. India s alcohol intake is up by 38% in the last seven years between 2010 and 2017 say s a Lancet study. Alcoholism is a significant cause of mental, social, family and health problems in Kerala, India. The state of Kerala has the highest per capita alcohol consumption in India, at over 8 litres per person per year. (National Family Health Survey, India -4 2015-16). Alcohol addiction can be considered as a family problem contributing to the increased stress in the family. Family failure and breakage due to alcoholism is a serious pervasive social issue. Alcohol is connected with domestic violence; low satisfaction in the relations, relationship conflicts, under care of children, legal and economic issues, disrupted family interaction and some also results in physical and psychological illness. The wives of alcoholics often show many mental and physical problems, their social involvement will be very low and have low marital satisfaction levels. Even these people have a very bad communication level also. The spouses of alcoholics have psychological issues in various adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms, to restore the equilibrium and relieve stress. (Sharma, N. et al., (2016). Alcoholism of male alcoholics results in the change in the interaction patterns of the spouses. It causes an alteration in complexion of the family environment by affecting the family s financial resources, which intern results in the dysfunction of several other areas. Almost all of the alcoholic dependents and their spouses agree that the main factor of marital happiness is related to ...