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Alcohol use disorders among the Yami aborigines in Taiwan

An inter-ethnic comparison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Shen-Ing Liu  and
Andrew T. A. Cheng
Shen-Ing Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei
Andrew T. A. Cheng*
Affiliation:
Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
*
Professor Andrew T. W. Cheng. Division of Epidemiology and Public Health. Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan. Fax: 886-2-785-3569
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Abstract

Background

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among the Yami aborigines in Taiwan were investigated and compared with four other Taiwanese aboriginal groups.

Method

A sample survey was conducted using a semi-structured clinical interview for AUDs among 252 subjects, aged 15 and above, from two Yami villages on Orchid Island.

Results

The prevalences of DSM–III–R and DSM–IV alcohol use disorders were 13.1% and 10.3% by one year, and 17.5% and 15.2% by lifetime, respectively with a male excess. The risk for AUDs in Yami men was significantly associated with a lower educational level, a non-married status, and the length of stay in mainland Taiwan. A protective effect of Christian belief was evident for lifetime risk for AUDs.

Conclusions

The lower prevalences of AUDs in Yami than in other aboriginal groups in Taiwan might be explained by social isolation of the former, and differences in drinking tradition, availability of alcohol, biological vulnerability, and the extent of acculturation between these groups.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 172 , Issue 2 , February 1998 , pp. 168 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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