An exploratory analysis of social connectedness and alcohol use of mature women

Women in their 50s and early 60s experience significant, unique life events that may affect their alcohol use. This complex period in a woman's life has co-occurring stressors that can affect alcohol use. Little is understood with regards to what predictors influence the alcohol use of women in this age group.

The objective of the study was to conduct an exploratory quantitative analysis to determine the social, physical and psychological predictors of increased daily alcohol use of women aged between 50 and 62 years.

The research sample of women aged 50-62 years was extracted across three waves of data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) collected from Wave 1 (2010) (n = 893), Wave 3 (2014) (n = 709) and Wave 5 (2018) (n = 579). Repeated measures analysis was conducted across Wave 1, 3 and 5 on the women's alcohol use as they age over eight years. Multiple regression analysis within the waves examined demographic and biopsychosocial predictive factors with daily alcohol use.

Repeated measures analysis showed that women's alcohol use remained fixed and did not significantly change from 50 to 62 years. Multiple regression analysis on demographic and biopsychological factors found that factors of social connectedness were the most significant predictor of lower daily alcohol use.

Social connectedness, specifically attending religious services and club membership were the most significant predictors of lower daily alcohol use. Therefore, social connectedness is an important factor to consider when providing healthcare and support to women in their 50s and 60s.