Date of Award
1994
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Nursing Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Health and Human Sciences
First Supervisor
Bronwyn Jones
Second Supervisor
Amanda Blackmore
Abstract
The study of self reported patterns of alcohol consumption by Registered nurses in Western Australia is the first Australian study that attempts to quantify the amount of alcohol consumed by nurses. This study also examines the type of alcohol related problem that nurses most frequently experience, and investigates the relationships between problematic alcohol consumption and the demographic categories of age, gender, area of nursing practice and geographical location of residence. The conceptual framework that guides the study incorporates a model developed by Thorley, and considers factors related to the intrinsic properties of alcohol, the environment and the individual which contribute to the development of an alcohol related problem. 500 nurses selected at random from the register held by the Nurses Board of Western Australia were sent a structured questionnaire by mail. 286 subjects returned questionnaires, and data was analysed using descriptive statistics and chi square to test the relationships. 15.4% of the participants reported alcohol consumption of a problematic nature, however the relationships between the demographic categories and problematic alcohol consumption were not significant at the p=O. 05 level. The findings of this study indicate that nurses alcohol consumption levels are higher and more problematic than the general population of Western Australia, and suggest that an appropriate response by the profession is a matter of some urgency.
Recommended Citation
Waters, K. (1994). The self reported patterns of alcohol consumption by registered nurses in Western Australia. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/277