A structural equation model of the effect of poverty and unemployment on alcohol abuse

The short- and long-term effects of poverty and unemployment on alcohol abuse are investigated using structural equation modelling (SEM) to better understand the observed conflicting relationships among them. We studied 795 community residents who provided complete data in both 1989 and 1991 in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Addictive behaviors 2002-05, Vol.27 (3), p.405-423
Main Authors: Khan, Shaila, Murray, Robert P, Barnes, Gordon E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Aged
Alcohol
Alcohol use
Alcoholism
Alcoholism - diagnosis
Alcoholism - epidemiology
Biological and medical sciences
Cross-sectional model of alcohol use
Cross-Sectional Studies
Effect of gender on alcohol use
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Gender
Humans
Longitudinal model of alcohol use
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Non-standard structural equation model
Poverty
Poverty - statistics & numerical data
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Sex Factors
Structural Equation Model
Unemployment
Unemployment - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:The short- and long-term effects of poverty and unemployment on alcohol abuse are investigated using structural equation modelling (SEM) to better understand the observed conflicting relationships among them. We studied 795 community residents who provided complete data in both 1989 and 1991 in the Winnipeg Health and Drinking Survey (WHDS), with equal representation of males and females. Results indicate that (a) increased poverty causes increased alcohol use and alcohol problems, and (b) recent unemployment decreases alcohol use while longer unemployment increases it. It is concluded that the effect of unemployment on alcohol abuse changes direction with time and, thus, both cross-sectional and longitudinal data are required to assess any meaningful relationship between them.
ISSN:0306-4603
1873-6327
DOI:10.1016/S0306-4603(01)00181-2