Social Characteristics of Addiction to Heroin.

The social backgrounds of 63 heroin addicts and 63 non-addict personality disorders are compared. Backgrounds of both groups are disturbed. Common to both groups is an unstable home in childhood. The backgrounds of 20 ftmale addinct and 20 healthy primiparae are compared and a marked contrast in stability is demonstrated. It is suggested that the spread of addiction will be contained more by stabilizing the family structure than by treatment of the addinct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]