High rates of alcohol problems and history of physical and sexual abuse among women inpatients.

A total of 88 consecutive new women patients were surveyed on an adult psychiatric inpatient unit which did not have a specific program for the treatment of alcoholics. Those with a self-reported history of physical and/or sexual abuse had significantly higher scores on the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) than those with no such history. Former drinkers and teetotalers were more likely to have been both physically and sexually abused than the others. Thirty-three patients (38%) reported a history of alcohol problems measured by scores of seven or more on the MAST, but only 20 had a diagnosis of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence made by a psychiatrist.