Effects of the Alcoholism Awareness Workshop on Air Force nurses' attitudes toward and knowledge of alcoholism

The study examined the effects of an eight-hour Alcoholism Awareness Workshop (AAW) on a sample of Air Force nurses' knowledge of alcoholism and attitudes toward alcoholics. Sixty Air Force nurses were randomly selected from the population of Air Force nurses on a base. The subjects were randomly assigned to three experimental groups of fifteen subjects each and a control group of fifteen subjects. The study was a pre-test/post-test experimental design. A knowledge measurement tool, the Jones Alcoholism Inventory (JAI), and an attitude measurement tool, the Tolor and Tamerin Attitudes Toward Alcoholics Inventory (TTAAI), were used for pre- and, three weeks later, post-test data collection. The hypotheses tested were: (1) The mean JAI score for Air Force Nurses who complete the AAW will be significantly higher than that for a control group of Air Force nurses who do not participate in the AAW; (2) the mean TTAAI score on each of the six subscales (psychological, physical-genetic, humanitarian, medical illness, moral weakness, and social rejection) for Air Force nurses who complete the AAW will be significantly higher than the scores for a control group of Air Force nurses, who do not participate in the workshop. A chi square value of 18.71 (p $>$ 0.001) was obtained which supported the first hypothesis. This indicated post-test change in the experimental group subjects' knowledge of alcoholism. The subjects showed significant differences in attitudes to support the second hypothesis. Experimental group subjects were more in agreement with TTAAI subscale statements indicating alcoholism was caused by physical-genetic factors; is a medical illness; and should be treated by humanist methods. Conversely, they rejected attitudes that alcoholics should be socially rejected or were morally weak. However, there was no significant change in psychological etiology. The theoretical framework that increased knowledge of a stereotyped group may change attitudes toward that group has tentative support by this study. Knowledge of and attitudes toward alcoholism can be improved through the AAW.