Alcohol use and psychosocial well-being among older adults.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to examine the relationships of three dimensions of alcohol consumption (frequency of drinking, usual total weekly consumption and quantity per occasion) with social and leisure status, stress and psychological well-being among people ages 65 and older.


METHODS
Nurse interviewers completed in-house surveys with 826 older persons (65% women) in one community (67% response rate of the census sample).


RESULTS
Overall, relationships tended to be modest or nil. Those relationships between negative functioning and heavier alcohol use that did emerge tended to be associated with higher quantity drinking (i.e., drinks per drinking day) and to some extent volume, but not with frequency of drinking. Of the psychosocial variables, poorer psychological well-being, especially depression, was most highly correlated with heavier drinking. These results were the same controlling for sex, age, education, health and use of depressant medications.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher quantity and volume of alcohol use among older people show a modest positive association with poorer psychological well-being, independent of other potentially confounding variables such as sex, age, health or use of depressant medications. Frequency of drinking, however, was not related to psychosocial status.
Graham
K
K
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Addiction Research Foundation, London, Ontario, Canada.
Schmidt
G
G
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
D000928:Antidepressive Agents