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Published on: January 7, 2019
Changes in social roles as predictors of changes in drinking behaviour
1Department of Medical Sociology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. KJ.Hajema@medsoc.Unimaas.NL
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|February 2, 1999
Summary
Changes in marital and parental roles, but not employment, influenced alcohol consumption. Losing a spouse role increased heavy drinking in women, suggesting limited support for role theory in explaining drinking behavior.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Social roles, such as marital status, employment, and parenthood, are hypothesized to influence health behaviors like alcohol consumption.
- Role theory suggests that acquiring social roles may decrease unhealthy behaviors, while losing roles may increase them.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of transitions in marital status, employment, and parental roles on alcohol consumption and heavy drinking frequency.
- To test the hypothesis derived from role theory regarding the influence of social role changes on drinking behavior.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study was conducted in the Netherlands from 1980-1989.
- 1327 individuals aged 16-69 at baseline were assessed for weekly alcohol consumption (standard units), frequency of heavy drinking (≥6 units), and self-reported social roles.
Main Results:
- Acquiring a spouse or parental role was associated with reduced alcohol consumption or heavy drinking frequency.
- Employment role acquisition did not show a significant association with changes in drinking behavior.
- The loss of a spouse role was linked to an increase in heavy drinking among women.
Conclusions:
- The study found limited evidence to support the hypothesis that social role transitions directly influence drinking behavior as predicted by role theory.
- Alternative theoretical frameworks may be necessary to fully explain social variations in alcohol consumption and heavy drinking patterns.
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