NCJ Number
196931
Journal
Addiction Volume: 97 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 1025-1036
Editor(s)
Susan Savva
Date Published
August 2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Using a community-based sample for comparison, this study attempted to determine whether alcohol misuse and its consequences were becoming more pronounced for later-born individuals, specifically in women.
Abstract
Recent evidence has suggested that the age of onset of alcohol consumption has become earlier over time, leading to attention being focused on gender differences in the patterning of alcohol consumption over time and the course and presentation of alcohol dependence. This study investigated the presence of cohort effects on gender differences in the course, severity, and symptomatology of DSM-III-R alcohol dependence in a community-based sample. Study participants consisted of 468 men and 132 women with life-time alcohol dependence. They were the biological or stepparents of 11- year old or 17-year old same sex twins born in the State of Minnesota, identified from public birth records, and born between 1941 and 1960. Alcohol dependence was diagnosed using DSM-III-R criteria and assessed by a structured interview administered in person. The study’s expectation was that cohort differences would be more pronounced for women than men. The findings indicated that later-born men and women were more likely to have a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol dependence, to be younger at the age of first intoxication and when problem drinking became evident, and to have a longer duration of problem drinking. These cohort effects came with significant interactions suggesting that later-born women were especially likely to differ from those born earlier. The rate of alcoholism in the later-born women was more than double that of the earlier-born females. The findings also indicate that more women are becoming alcoholic at an earlier age. This study demonstrated that among individuals diagnosed with lifetime alcohol dependence, the age of onset of alcohol-related behaviors, such as intoxication and problem drinking of women was converging with that of men. Explanations for the stronger cohort effects found in women included: the coinciding changes in both gender roles for women and changes in attitudes towards alcohol and drug use. Study limitations are presented. References