Alcohol consumption, life context, and coping predict mortality among late-middle-aged drinkers and former drinkers

Abstract

This study examined mortality risk for individuals in four alcohol consumption categories and identified life context and coping factors that independently predicted mortality among late-middle-aged drinkers and former drinkers (n = 1869). Compared with light drinkers, former drinkers (current abstainers) were at increased mortality risk; moderate drinkers were at decreased risk. Consistent with previous research on older samples, heavy drinkers were not at increased risk. Abstainers' increased risk was reduced in a model that controlled for life context and coping factors. Other independent predictors of mortality included reporting an illness stressor, stressor severity, less participation in activities with friends, greater use of resigned acceptance and alternative rewards coping, and less use of cognitive avoidance and emotional discharge coping. The findings support previous research on the alcohol-mortality relationship among older adults, and highlight the fact that abstainers' life stressors and avoidance coping responses may be more important predictors of their mortality than their abstention.