Lets Drink to Being Socially Active: Family Characteristics, Social Participation, and Alcohol Abuse across Mid- and Later-life Institutional Repository Document

Researchers and practitioners often extol the health benefits of social relationships and social participation for older adults. Yet, they often ignore how these same bonds and activities may contribute to negative health behaviors. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (16,065 observations from 7,007 respondents), we examine how family characteristics, family history, and social participation predict three measures of alcohol abuse between ages 53 and 71. Results indicate that, generally, greater social participation is associated with increased drinking days per month. We also find that religious participation and having ever lived with an alcoholic are each associated with reporting possible alcohol dependence, but not with alcohol consumption itself. Lastly, we identify gendered associations between marital dissolution and drinking behavior. These findings contextualize the increasing rates of alcohol abuse in later life by emphasizing the possible negative consequences of linked lives on health, via relationship stress and group norms.