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. 2010 Dec;45(14):2481-502.
doi: 10.3109/10826081003692106. Epub 2010 Apr 16.

Cohabitation, gender, and alcohol consumption in 19 countries: a multilevel analysis

Qing Li  1 , Richard Wilsnack, Sharon Wilsnack, Arlinda Kristjanson
Affiliations

Cohabitation, gender, and alcohol consumption in 19 countries: a multilevel analysis

Qing Li et al. Subst Use Misuse. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

We used an ecological paradigm and multilevel analytic techniques to analyze gender-specific relationships of cohabitation (versus marriage) to drinking in 19 countries (n = 32,922) and to "heavy episodic drinking" (HED) in 17 countries (n = 24,525) in surveys (1996-2004) from Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: An International Study. Cohabitation was associated with elevated risk of HED among drinkers of both genders, controlling for age, education, and societal characteristics. The association between cohabitation and HED tended to be stronger for female drinkers than for male drinkers. HED was more prevalent among younger drinkers, especially among younger women in countries with higher per capita gross domestic product. Cross-culturally, cohabiters deserve special attention in prevention efforts for hazardous drinking, considering both individual-level and societal factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Weighted gender-specific prevalence rates of HED (top:women, and bottom: men) among cohabiting and married respondents in 17 countries, from GENACIS.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Probability of HED predicted by women’s age and national economic development level (25th/50th/75th percentiles of log transformation of the gross domestic product per capita, Log GDP) among cohabiting and married female respondents in 17 countries, from GENACIS.
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