A Cross-cultural Study of Alcoholism in Korean, Yanbian Korean-Chinese, and Yanbian Chinese Alcoholics

Yoon, Heonyui; Kwon, Jungwha; Choi, Soon

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
In order to examine the sociocultural effects of drinking, the authors compared drinking patterns, acceptance levels toward drinking, and the threshold of permission towards drinking behavior in Korean, Yanbian Korean-Chinese, and Yanbian Chinese alcoholics.
METHODS
60 Korean, 100 Korean-Chinese, 98 Chinese male alcoholic inpatients were examined by questionnaire and interview.
RESULTS
1) Korean alcoholics were found to be older, less educated, in blue collar occupations, and least stable in their marital state. In comparison, Korean-Chinese and Chinese alcoholics were highly educated, in white collar occupations, and most stable in their marital state with Chinese alcoholics being the youngest. 2) The average amount of daily alcohol consumption and shortest duration was greatest among Korean, then Chinese, followed by Korean-Chinese alcoholics. It took a longer time for Korean alcoholics to try to quit drinking artier the initiation of heavy drinking than it did far Korean-Chinese or Chinese alcoholics. 3) In acceptance levels toward male drinking, there were no differences among the groups. 4) In acceptance levels toward female drinking, Koreas were more permissive than Chinese. However there was no difference between Koreans and Korean-Chinese toward female drinking. 5) In acceptance levels toward drinking by age, all the groups were most permissive toward 40 year old male and female, followed by 60 year old male old female, young male and female, and least permissive toward boy and girl. 6) In acceptance levels toward drinking by gender, all the groups were more permissive toward males drinking the females drinking. 7) Korean alcoholics had the highest threshold of displeasure for drinking behavior followed by Korean-Chinese and then Chinese alcoholics.
CONCLUSION
Korean alcoholics had higher levels in all categories, namely in alcohol consumption, acceptance levels toward drinking, and threshold of displeasure for drinking behavior than other groups. The Chinese alcoholics contrarily had lower levels in all categories than others. It is the results of the Korean-Chinese alcoholics that draw the conclusion that despite having similarities to that of the Korean alcoholics in terms of sociological norms toward drinking, their drinking pattern reflects that of the Chinese alcoholics. Thus the differences in average amount of alcohol consumption, acceptance levels toward drinking, and threshold of displeasure for drinking behavior between Korean and Chinese alcoholics suggest that there are sociocultural effects of drinking.