Alcoholic beverages have complex and diverse associations with human health. Despite governmental regulations, alcohol abuse remains prevalent among older adults in China. With rapid population aging, understanding the relationship between high-frequency drinking and marital satisfaction in this demographic has significant practical, sociological and ethical implications. Existing empirical studies examining this association are limited. This study uses data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2020. Marital satisfaction, measured on a five-point scale, serves as the dependent variable. High-frequency drinking is defined as consuming alcohol three or more times per week. An Ordered Logit (Ologit) model was used for baseline regression. Robustness checks were performed using propensity score matching (PSM) and alternative model specifications. Heterogeneity analyses were performed across age groups, occupations, regions, and rural-urban divides. Mediation and moderation analyses explored potential psychological and health pathways. Baseline regression indicated a significant positive correlation between high-frequency drinking and marital satisfaction among older adults (OR = 1.411, p < 0.01), which contradicted the initial hypothesis of a negative association. Robustness tests confirm this finding. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that the positive correlation was more pronounced among individuals aged 70–80, non-agricultural workers, those residing in eastern and northeastern regions, and rural older adults, while it is non-significant among urban residents. Mediation analysis suggested that mental health improvement, better self-rated health, and reduced physical discomfort were significant pathways linking high-frequency drinking to higher marital satisfaction. Chronic disease presence positively moderated this relationship. Contrary to intuitive expectations, high-frequency drinking was associated with higher marital satisfaction among older adults in China, which operated through specific mental and physical health mechanisms. The findings highlighted the nuanced role of alcohol consumption in the context of aging and marital dynamics, enriching the literature on marital satisfaction and the social correlates of drinking behavior. Future research should further investigate the complex associations between alcohol consumption and well-being in diverse contexts, considering types and amounts of alcohol consumed.
Zhang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.