The impact of alcohol consumption on patterns of union formation in Russia 1998–2010: An assessment using longitudinal data

Katherine Keenan,Michael G Kenward,Emily Grundy,David A Leon

doi:10.1080/00324728.2014.955045

Abstract

Using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, 1998–2010, we investigated the extent to which patterns of alcohol consumption in Russia are associated with the subsequent likelihood of entry into cohabitation and marriage. Using discrete-time event history analysis we estimated for 16–50 year olds the extent to which the probabilities of entry into the two types of union were affected by the amount of alcohol drunk and the pattern of drinking, adjusted to allow for social and demographic factors including income, employment, and health. The results show that individuals who did not drink alcohol were less likely to embark on either cohabitation or marriage, that frequent consumption of alcohol was associated with a greater chance of entering unmarried cohabitation than of entering into a marriage, and that heavy drinkers were less likely to convert their relationship from cohabitation to marriage.

Highlights

Studies in several countries have shown that higher rates of alcohol consumption can affect the timing of marriage and are associated with increased rates of cohabitation and union dissolution (Forthofer et al 1996; Leonard and Rothbard 1999)
The same relationship between patterns of alcohol consumption and union formation was seen for both sexes
There were no significant differences in the effect of alcohol consumption between those in the various union states when first observed at wave t − 1, and little attenuation of the effects of alcohol after adjustment for factors such as education, employment, income, or health

Summary

Introduction

Studies in several countries have shown that higher rates of alcohol consumption can affect the timing of marriage and are associated with increased rates of cohabitation and union dissolution (Forthofer et al 1996; Leonard and Rothbard 1999). In studies undertaken outside Russia it has long been noted that married people usually have better health and follow healthier lifestyles, including more moderate drinking patterns, than those who are unmarried (Gove 1973; Rosengren et al 1989; Umberson 1992; Joung et al 1995; Waite 1995). Russian drinking continued to involve the consumption of large amounts of spirits, there were sharp fluctuations, in part as a consequence of wars, but more as a result of a series of prohibition laws. The first of these was passed in the early twentieth century (1914) and the last by Gorbachev in 1985. This can be seen as a reaction to Gorbachev’s antialcohol stance, but was driven by the increasing availability of cheap spirits at a time of widespread socio-economic insecurity (Leon et al 2009)

Methods

Results

Conclusion