Associations of cohort and socio-demographic correlates with transitions from alcohol use to disorders and remission in metropolitan China.
OBJECTIVE
To examine socio-demographic associations of transitions from alcohol use to disorders and of remission from disorders in metropolitan China.


METHODS
Face-to-face interviewing by trained lay-interviewers on a multi-staged, clustered sample from the general population of Beijing and Shanghai, China.


METHODS
A total of 5201 adults aged 18-70 years and with household registration.


METHODS
World Mental Health version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview.


RESULTS
Lifetime prevalence estimates for alcohol use, regular use (at least 12 drinks in a year), DSM-IV abuse and dependence with abuse were 65.4%, 39.5% (60.4% of ever-drinkers), 4.6% (11.6% of regular users) and 0.9% (20.4% of lifetime alcohol abusers), respectively. These estimates were higher among respondents from the recent cohort; 64.3% and 36.9% respondents with a history of lifetime abuse and dependence respectively had remitted. The number of socio-demographic associations for the onset of each transitional stage decreased from alcohol use to alcohol dependence. Onset of ever-use was more common in respondents who were male, 18-50 years of age, with middle education level and never married, but less common among the previously married and students. First onset of regular use among those with ever-use was more common in respondents who were male, less than 50 years of age and never married, but less common in students. Being male and less than 50 years of age was associated with more alcohol abusers among regular users.


CONCLUSIONS
This study was the first to reveal in a Chinese population that qualitatively different risk factors might operate during the different stages of progression from alcohol use to disorders. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying these differences in order to guide prevention programmes.
Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. singlee@cuhk.edu.hk
Sing
S
Lee
Wan-Jun
WJ
Guo
Adley
A
Tsang
Yan-Ling
YL
He
Yue-Qin
YQ
Huang
Ming-Yuan
MY
Zhang
Zhao-Rui
ZR
Liu
Yu-Cun
YC
Shen
Ronald C
RC
Kessler
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D018450:Disease Progression; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult