Some psychological characteristics of the women - wife of patients suffering from alcoholism (personal self-appraisal persons suffering from alcohol addiction and they wife)
35 families were studied (35 men, aged 30 to 55 years old diagnosed with alcoholism at the 2 <sup>nd stage of the disease, and 35 women aged 28 to 53 years old who did not suffer from alcoholism or alcohol abuse, but were co-dependent spouses of persons suffering from alcohol addiction). Duration of the disease was from 12 to 26 years. The control group consisted of 25 families where neither the men nor the women suffered from alcoholism or alcohol abuse. Age and education qualifications were approximately the same as in the experimental group. The level of claims, self-appraisal and self-respect in men suffering from alcoholism and in their co-dependent spouses was examined. According to scale II there were no statistically significant differences in the averages of autosympathy, 3 — self-acceptance, 4 — self-management, 5 — self-accusation between men suffering from alcoholism and healthy examined men. Whereas according to scale S — integral, I — self-respect, III — expectation of positive attitude from others, IV — self-interest, 1 — self-esteem, 2 — expectation of relation from others, 6 — self-interest, 7 — self-understanding, there was a significant decrease of «all scales» in patients suffering from alcoholism as compared to healthy men. Upon examining co-dependent and healthy women, the differences in the means according to scales I — self-respect, 4 — self-management, 5 — self-accusation, 6 — self-interest, 7 — self-understanding, were not found to be statistically significant. Whereas according to scales S integral, II autosymapthy, III expectation of positive attitude from others, IV self-interest, 1 — self-esteem, 2 — expectation of relation from others, 3 — self-acceptance, the means of «all scales» were significantly decreased in the spouses of patients suffering from alcoholism. According to scales «Character», «Authority among peers», «Skillful hands», «Looks», «Self-confidence», the indices of the level of claims and the criterion of self-appraisal are quite high in healthy men and women as opposed to men suffering from alcoholism and their co-dependent spouses. Reliable differences in the levels of claims in patients suffering from alcoholism and their co-dependent spouses were recorded on the scale of «Looks», while in the families of healthy men — on the scales of «Character», «Skillful hands» and «Looks». The results of the examination of self-appraisal show that there are differences between men suffering from alcoholism and their spouses on the scale of «Intelligence and Abilities», «Character», «Authority among peers», «Self-esteem», moreover, in healthy women the majority of these criteria are lower than in their husbands suffering from alcoholism. Therefore, a whole set of disruptions in the levels of claims, self-appraisal and self-respect is formed in women who are co-dependent on their spouses suffering from alcoholism as compared to women whose spouses do not suffer from alcohol abuse. </sup>