Covariation of daily stressors and alcohol use among adults aged 50+ years: differences across stressor characteristics and individual factors.

Background: Several theoretical frameworks suggest connections between stress and alcohol use. However, limited existing literature has focused on older adults, and associations may vary across stressor and individual characteristics.

Purpose: The current study extends the stress-drinking literature by assessing the same-day covariation of daily stressors and alcohol use among a national sample of adults aged 50+ years.

Methods: Participants (N = 1,035; Mage=61.62 years; range = 50-83) were non-abstaining adults who participated in an 8-day daily diary project in the National Study of Daily Experiences.

Results: Multilevel logistic regression analyses revealed no main effects of stressor exposure (OR = 1.07; 95% CI: 0.93, 1.24), stressor quantity (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.20), or stressor severity (OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.14) on likelihood of same-day alcohol consumption. There were differences by stressor domain. Days with non-work stressors were associated with a 13% greater likelihood of alcohol use compared to days without non-work stressors (OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.004, 1.27). In contrast, likelihood of alcohol consumption did not differ between days with work stressors compared to days without work stressors (OR = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.71, 1.13). Several between-person factors were found to moderate associations between daily stressors and alcohol use. Specifically, older age, lower educational attainment, and reporting alcohol-related problems strengthened associations between some daily stressor characteristics and likelihood of same-day alcohol use.

Conclusions: Study findings suggest individual differences in middle-aged and older adults' drinking on days with daily stressors. Results may inform efforts to provide personalized alcohol use education and intervention to adults aged 50+ years.