Exploring life-course patterns of substance abuse: a qualitative study

This research sought to examine how older adults with substance abuse issues understand the pattern of their use. Qualitative interviews explored: (1) Whether self-reported age of onset of substance abuse in fact aligned with the age when use became problematic; (2) Patterns of substance use over the life-course; (3) Precipitants of substance use throughout the lifespan; (4) Factors that prevented identification of problem use; (5) How participants came to recognize that their substance use was problematic.

Participants were 11 men and 9 women aged 62-78 years (M = 69.80, SD = 3.86) who were clients of an older adult substance abuse treatment program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and transcribed for thematic analysis.

Interview data revealed discrepancies between self-identified age of substance abuse onset and reported problematic use throughout the lifetime. Thematic analysis revealed factors that contributed to participants not recognizing problem use earlier in life, such as normalizing and minimizing the impact of use and lack of severe consequences earlier in life. Additionally, factors that led to increased use (i.e. retirement, grief), and to recognition of problem use and treatment-seeking were identified (i.e. social, financial, legal, and health problems).

In general, self-reported age of substance abuse onset and patterns of substance abuse were highly variable across participants. These results have implications for assessment of substance use among older adults, as well as preventative efforts to decrease risk of substance abuse.