Alcohol Drinking and Psychological Health Outcome

Abstract: Objective: This paper explores the relationship between alcohol consumption and psychological health outcome in an economically underdeveloped area of China. Methods: We conducted convenience sampling and recruited 439 participants at alcohol-related risk as identified by Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. Well-being and mental health were the primary outcomes. We employed multiple regression analysis to determine the correlation between alcohol consumption and health outcome. Results: Participants with higher scores for alcohol dependence were more likely to obtain higher scores for stress (0.11 95% CI: 0.03, 0.19), anxiety (0.15 95% CI: 0.07, 0.23) and depression (0.11 95% CI: 0.03, 0.19). Similarly, increasing scores for harmful alcohol use items were associated with higher scores for anxiety (0.08 95% CI: 0.01,0.16) and stress (0.08 95% CI: 0.01,0.15) and lower scores for positiveness (0.07 95% CI: –0.14, –0.01). Participants with stable incomes and the ethnic minority reported more favorable psychological outcomes or fewer negative emotions. Conversely, individuals who drank passively were more prone to experiencing lower positive and higher negative psychological effects. Conclusions: Higher scores on measures of alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use indicate elevated psychological risks. Socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and drinking motivations modified the associations.