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Abstract
BackgroundEarlier results concerning alcohol consumption of bereaved persons are contradictory. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between bereavement and alcohol consumption accounting for time and gender differences on a nationally representative sample from Hungary ("Hungarostudy Epidemiological Panel Survey", N = 4457)MethodsDrinking characteristics of mourning persons (alcohol consumption, dependence symptoms, and harmful consequences of alcohol use) in the first three years of grief were examined among persons between 18-75 years using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).ResultsMen bereaved for one year scored higher on two dimensions of AUDIT (dependence symptoms and harmful alcohol use), while men bereaved for two years scored higher on all three dimensions of AUDIT compared to the non-bereaved. The rate of men clinically at-risk concerning alcohol consumption among the non-bereaved is 12.9%, and among men bereaved for one year is 18.4% (a non-significant difference), while 29.8% (p < 0.001, OR = 2,781) among men bereaved for two years. However, men bereaved for three years did not differ from the non-bereaved in their drinking habits. In case of bereaved women, again no difference was found with respect to alcohol use compared to the non-bereaved.ConclusionAmong bereaved men, the risk of alcohol related problems tends to be higher, which can be shown both among men bereaved for one year as well as men bereaved for two years. Considering the higher morbidity and mortality rates of bereaved men, alcohol consumption might play a mediator role. These facts draw attention to the importance of prevention, early recognition, and effective therapy of hazardous drinking in bereaved men.
Highlights
Several studies have confirmed that death of a close relative is a serious emotional burden, which increases the frequency of different physical and mental disorders [1,2,3]
In connection with the findings above, the aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between bereavement and alcohol consumption accounting for time and gender differences on a national (Hungarian) representative sample in order to avoid any bias resulting from the method of data collection
With regard to the total score of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the T-Test significant indicated gender differences in our sample (p < .001, t = 6.501), which confirmed the rationale behind analyses carried out in gender breakdown
Summary
Several studies have confirmed that death of a close relative is a serious emotional burden, which increases the frequency of different physical and mental disorders [1,2,3]. The majority of studies indicate that grief influences health in the earlier phase of bereavement, but usually these effects disappear in one year’s time [11,12]. One possible reason for the inconsistent results is that not all previous studies had considered the relevance of gender differences, these differences had been well documented both in the aspect of the grief reaction and psychoactive substance use: widowers are relatively more vulnerable than widows, and men have more drinking problems than women [14,15,5].
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