Adjustment of Chippewa Indian Alcoholics to a Predominantly White Treatment Program

Abstract

Indian (51, M_age = 41.8) and non-Indian (1474, M_age = 46.4) male alcoholic admissions to a state hospital alcohol treatment unit over a 2-yr. period were compared on background, admission, and discharge variables. Indian alcoholics differed significantly from non-Indian alcoholics on the background variables of mean number of times fired (7.5 vs 4.0), mean years of longest job held (5.3 vs 9.4), mean highest income ($3,300 vs $6,900), and mean income just prior to treatment ($1,200 vs $3,300). Significant differences between Indian and non-Indian alcoholics were found for the admission variables of voluntary admission (76% vs 63%), admission from own home (15% vs 37%), and spouse responsible for admission (11% vs 34%), but no significant difference was found for the number of admissions. No significant differences were found between Indian and non-Indian alcoholics for the discharge variables of discharge with approval (42% vs 56%), hospital stay of one month or less (62% vs 47%), and judged improvement during treatment (18% vs 24%). These results seem to indicate that Indian alcoholics benefited from an integrated treatment program.