Some Effects of Type of Group and Sex on Attitudes toward Alcohol and Alcoholism

Attitudes toward alcohol use as well as alcoholism were compared across three groups: a community sample, a sample of graduate social work students, and a sample of prison inmates who were also members of A. A. The data were concerned with two attitudinal domains: attitudinal affect and cognition (belief). The results indicated more similarity between the community respondents and the prison inmates than for either with the student sample on both kinds of attitudinal measures. Only in terms of familiarity with drinking, drinkers, and treatment resources, were the inmates more similar to the students than to the community sample. Sex differences occurred within the community sample but generally not within the student sample. Attitudes toward alcohol use were consistent with attitudes toward alcoholism, in that both types of attitudes tended to be positive or negative, and familiarity with drinking and alcoholism was not related to attitudinal affect or cognition.