Female surgeons' alcohol use: a study of a national sample of norwegian doctors.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to describe the alcohol use by female surgeons and the hazards of their drinking habits for them compared with the habits of female doctors from non-surgical specialities, and with those of their male colleagues in surgery, and to identify the variables associated with hazardous drinking.


METHODS
The data were collected in 2000 from a representative national sample of 1120 Norwegian doctors. Alcohol use was measured using a modified version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. A score of 9 or more was used as an indicator of hazardous drinking.


RESULTS
Female surgeons compared with female non-surgeons had tendencies for more frequent moderate alcohol consumption accompanied by more frequent consumption of larger amounts of alcohol, and a significantly higher rate of hazardous drinking (18 vs 7.6%). Being a surgeon (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.4), male (OR = 2.7, 1.7-4.1) and aged 45 years or over (OR = 1.5, 1.1-2.2) were significant predictors of hazardous drinking. With separate gender analyses, being a surgeon was a significant predictor for both females (OR = 2.8, 1.2-6.6) and males (OR = 1.5, 1.0-2.3).


CONCLUSIONS
Female surgeons practising in Norway drink more frequently and more hazardously than other female doctors. There are a number of possible explanations for this. Surgical culture may be an important factor.
Rosta
Judith
J
Department of Sociology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Robert-Mayer-Strasse 5, D-60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Rosta@soz.uni-frankfurt.de
Aasland
Olaf G
OG
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D013502:General Surgery; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010815:Physician Impairment / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012494:Sampling Studies