Differences between Families Admitting and Denying an Existing Drinking Problem

In an urban community survey of 7,276 adults, 132 problem drinkers (2 per cent) were identified. Of these, 99 were established by the screening questions, and 33 were recognized by interviewers' reported observations. There were few marked differences between the two groups although higher class families, Negro Baptists and parents with drinking sons more frequently denied problem drinking, while Irish, Puerto Ricans and males in general more readily admitted such difficulties. These findings may assist in determining the frequency and characteristics of persons denying such socially undesirable problems and may aid in developing better screening devices for similar surveys.