title: Education, income and alcohol misuse: a stress process model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study applies stress process theory to study and explain the negative association between socioeconomic status (SES) and alcohol misuse. SES is theorized to reduce alcohol misuse by reducing exposure to stressors and increasing access to resources.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National Co-Morbidity panel sample (N = 4,979) interviewed in 1990-1992 and 2000-2002 are analyzed to estimate direct and indirect pathways between SES and alcohol misuse over time via stressors and resources.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher education and income predict decreased alcohol misuse via internal and external locus of control. External locus of control is associated with increased alcohol intake over time, whereas internal locus of control is associated with a lower likelihood of developing future alcohol-related disorders. Income is also associated with increased alcohol misuse via religiosity, which is more common among people of low income, and protects against alcohol misuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SES is negatively associated with alcohol misuse because low SES increases people's perceptions that their lives are determined by luck, and reduces their sense of personal control. However, low income has a countervailing negative influence on alcohol misuse via its association with religiosity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology/300, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV, 89557-0300, USA, melliott@unr.edu.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lowman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000438:Alcohols; D015897:Comorbidity; D003469:Culture; D004522:Educational Status; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011203:Poverty; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols