Predicting Hazardous Alcohol Drinking Behaviors in Family Members of Hazardous Alcohol-Drinker Patients

Ching Yen Chen, Chen Chun Lin, Jung Ta Kao, Wen Ling Yeh, Chiao Yun Lin, Yun Fang Tsai*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

Abstract

Family members of hazardous or harmful alcohol drinkers suffer many consequences of their relative’s alcohol-drinking behaviors and risk developing their own hazardous alcohol drinking behaviors. Studies of alcohol-related healthcare problems have mainly focused on patients, with few studies on their family members. This cross-sectional study explored factors predicting hazardous alcohol drinking behaviors in family members of hazardous alcohol-drinker patients. Participants were recruited from four randomly chosen hospitals in Taiwan. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires on family members’ alcohol use, perceived stress, coping mechanisms, social support, health, quality of life, protective factors against hazardous alcohol drinking, facilitative factors for hazardous alcohol drinking, and demographics. The 318 family members who participated in this study were divided by their Chinese-version Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores into two groups: hazardous alcohol drinkers (score ≥ 8) and non-hazardous alcohol drinkers (score < 8). Significant factors predicting hazardous alcohol drinking behaviors were found by logistic regression to be the frequency of using general coping mechanisms (OR = 1.29, p < 0.01), the frequency of using strategies to cope with patients’ drinking-related behaviors (OR = 0.89, p < 0.01), factors protecting against hazardous alcohol drinking (OR = 0.76, p < 0.01) and factors facilitating hazardous alcohol drinking (OR = 1.52, p < 0.01). Interventions should be designed for family members of hazardous alcohol drinkers to address these four significant predictors.

Original languageEnglish
Article number5497
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume19
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 01 05 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Li-censee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

  • alcohol
  • family member
  • hazardous drinking behaviors
  • protective factor

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