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The social location of harm from others’ drinking in 10 societies
Author(s) -
Room Robin,
Callinan Sarah,
Greenfield Thomas K.,
Rekve Dag,
Waleewong Orratai,
Stanesby Oliver,
Thamarangsi Thaksaphon,
Benegal Vivek,
Casswell Sally,
Florenzano Ramon,
Hanh Hoang T.M.,
Hettige Siri,
KarrikerJaffe Katherine J.,
Obot Isidore,
Rao Girish N.,
Siengsounthone Latsamy,
Laslett AnneMarie
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/add.14447
Subject(s) - harm , residence , population , injury prevention , suicide prevention , poison control , psychology , harm reduction , environmental health , demography , socioeconomics , geography , public health , medicine , social psychology , sociology , nursing
Aims Survey data from 10 diverse countries were used to analyse the social location of harms from others’ drinking: which segments of the population are more likely to be adversely affected by such harm, and how does this differ between societies? Methods General‐population surveys in Australia, Chile, India, Laos, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United States and Vietnam, with a primary focus on the social location of the harmed person by gender, age group s , rural/urban residence and drinking status. Harms from known drinkers were analysed separately from harms from strangers. Results In all sites, risky or moderate drinkers were more likely than abstainers to report harm from the drinking of known drinkers, with risky drinkers the most likely to report harm. This was also generally true for harm from strangers’ drinking, although the patterns were more mixed in Vietnam and Thailand. Harm from strangers’ drinking was more often reported by males, while gender disparity in harm from known drinkers varied between sites. Younger adults were more likely to experience harm both from known drinkers and from strangers in some, but not all, societies. Only a few sites showed significant urban/rural differences, with disparities varying in direction. In multivariate analyses, most relationships remained, although some were no longer significant. Conclusion The social location of harms from others’ drinking, whether known or a stranger, varies considerably between societies. One near‐commonality among the societies is that those who are themselves risky drinkers are more likely to suffer harm from others’ drinking.