The associations between unemployment at a young age and binge drinking and alcohol-related problems

Youth unemployment remains at a high stable level in many countries making it a public health problem of importance. The aim was to examine the short-term effect of unemployment at a young age (aged 17-29 years) on self-reported binge drinking and alcohol-related problems.

We used data from a cross-sectional national study that took place in 2013, with a follow-up in 2014. A sample of young adults aged 17-29 years (n = 1188, response rate of 46.3%) that completed both surveys served as the study sample in the current study. The same self-reported questionnaire, consisting of questions regarding their alcohol habits and sociodemographic information, was used on both occasions. Information on the outcomes of binge drinking and alcohol-related harm were obtained from the 2014 survey. From the 2013 survey, information on individual and family level covariates were collected. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with employed individuals as the reference group were estimated by logistic regression analysis.

At baseline, results indicate that employed individuals reported the greatest prevalence of weekly binge drinking. In the fully adjusted models, unemployment appeared to be associated with an increased risk of alcohol-related problems (OR 1.37, 95% CI 0.77-2.45); however, this was not the case for weekly binge drinking (OR 0. 94, 95% CI 0.45-1.96).

Unemployment at a young age may be a risk factor for later alcohol-related problems. Thus, targeting youth unemployment could be one element in an effective health policy aimed at reducing rates of alcohol use disorders.