What is the role of roles? Exploring the link between social roles and women’s alcohol use in low- and middle-income countries

Abstract

Grittner, U., Nemeth, Z., Kuntsche, S., Gaertner, B., & Bloomfield, K. (2015). What is the role of roles? Exploring the link between social roles and women’s alcohol use in low- and middle-income countries.  The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 4 (2), 139-149. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v4i2.211 Aims: This paper investigates how social roles are related to alcohol use among women in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: Cross-sectional data were used from 25-49-years-old women in 11 low- and middle-income countries from the GenACIS project. Dependent variables were current drinking and risky drinking (10+gr/day). Information on partnership, parenthood and having paid labour were used as social role measures. Multiple and multilevel regression analyses were carried out to test whether holding several roles are related to current and risky drinking. Results: Having paid work was associated with current and risky drinking across countries. Having a partner and having children were associated with a higher likelihood of abstention. With regard to country level characteristics per capita consumption was significantly related to both current drinking and risky drinking among women, while gross national income was significantly associated only with current drinking. Gender equality within the country did not have a significant association with women’s drinking. Concerning differing role combinations, working single women without children were most likely to be risky drinkers, while women who were not working and had a partner and children were the least likely. Conclusions: Paid labour was a substantial singular factor positively associated with women’s drinking. In addition, with the exception of Argentina and Kazakhstan, high per capita consumption on country level was associated with higher prevalence of risky drinking among women.