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Drinking patterns, psychosocial characteristics and alcohol consequences
1Clinical Social and Evaluation Research Department, Addiction Research Foundation, London, Ontario, Canada.
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|September 23, 1998
Summary
Alcohol consumption mediates the link between drinking problems and factors like age and education. Psychosocial variables also influence drinking consequences, clarifying the complex relationship between alcohol use and adverse outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Substance Abuse Research
Background:
- Understanding the interplay between psychosocial factors and alcohol-related harm is crucial for public health interventions.
- Previous research suggests various individual and social determinants influence drinking behaviors and their consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine alcohol consumption as a mediator between psychosocial variables and adverse drinking consequences.
- To investigate psychosocial variables as moderators in the relationship between alcohol consumption and adverse outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale general population survey in Ontario, Canada, utilizing multi-stage sampling.
- Data collected from 33,568 current drinkers aged 18+ via interviews and self-administered questionnaires.
- Analyses included alcohol consumption, adverse consequences, and psychosocial variables (age, sex, marital status, health, stress, income, education, employment, family dysfunction).
Main Results:
- Alcohol consumption mediated the association between adverse consequences and demographic/socioeconomic factors (age, sex, marital status, education, income, employment).
- Psychosocial factors like self-rated health, perceived stress, and family dysfunction were independently linked to adverse consequences.
- The link between alcohol consumption and adverse consequences was moderated by age, marital status, education, and employment.
Conclusions:
- Alcohol consumption plays a mediating role in how psychosocial characteristics relate to adverse drinking consequences.
- Specific psychosocial factors independently predict adverse outcomes, highlighting their direct impact.
- Findings clarify the complex, multifaceted relationship between alcohol use patterns and individual/social factors in determining drinking-related harm.