Housing Eviction and Alcohol-Related Harms: A Review of the Literature

Alcohol-related harms - including acute and chronic harms as well as those partially- and fully-attributable to alcohol consumption - incur a substantial public health burden. Understanding the potential associations between structural factors, such as housing eviction, and alcohol-related harms could elucidate important opportunities for reducing this burden. Therefore, the objective of this review is to assess what current research shows about the associations between eviction and alcohol-related harms.

Using PubMed/Medline, APA PsycINFO, and Web of Science, we conducted a critical review of original research articles published in English January 1, 2000-March 8, 2024 that examined the associations between housing eviction and fully alcohol-attributable and acute partially alcohol-attributable harms. Of the 353 unique articles identified, 28 met inclusion criteria and three additional articles were identified through a descendancy search.

The search yielded 31 articles, with over half published since 2021. Current research documents positive associations between housing eviction and acute partially-alcohol attributable harms, specifically, suicide/suicide risk, intimate partner violence, and violent crime. Only six studies examined alcohol consumption or fully alcohol-attributable harms, such alcohol use disorder, with four of these studies finding a positive association.

Although there is some evidence supporting positive associations between eviction and alcohol-related harms, particularly those that are acute and partially alcohol-attributable, substantial gaps remain. Recommendations for future research include: elucidating the role of alcohol consumption in amplifying risk of harm; further examining the association between eviction and fully alcohol-attributable harms, especially AUD; and, employing community-partnered, strengths-based, multilevel, and complex systems science approaches.