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Hostility, drinking pattern and mortality
Author(s) -
Boyle Stephen H.,
Mortensen Laust,
Grønbæk Morten,
Barefoot John C.
Publication year - 2008
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/j.1360-0443.2007.02024.x
Subject(s) - hostility , medicine , injury prevention , poison control , demography , heavy drinking , alcohol , environmental health , psychology , clinical psychology , sociology , biochemistry , chemistry
Aims This study examined the association of hostility to drinking pattern and whether this association mediated the relation of hostility to mortality. Participants and design Subjects were 3326 current drinkers from the Vietnam Experience Study cohort who were followed for vital status. Setting United States. Measurements Hostility was measured by an abbreviated version of the Cook–Medley Hostility Scale (ACM). The alcohol variables were total monthly intake of alcohol, drinking frequency, drinks per drinking day and drinking ≥ 5 drinks on at least one occasion in the past month (i.e. heavy episodic drinking). Findings Regression analyses showed associations between the ACM and total monthly intake of alcohol ( P < 0.0001), drinks per drinking day ( P < 0.0001) and heavy episodic drinking ( P < 0.0001), but not with frequency of drinking days. Hostility, drinks per drinking day, heavy episodic drinking and total monthly alcohol intake were also associated with all‐cause mortality (all P s < 0.0001). Further analyses showed that drinking pattern, particularly drinks per drinking day, may account partially for the relation of hostility to mortality. Conclusions High hostility is associated with elevated mortality and a deleterious drinking pattern characterized by relatively high intake per drinking occasion. Drinking pattern could help explain the relationships between hostility and health.