Search resultsCross-cultural patterns of the association between varying levels of alcohol consumption and the common mental disorders of depression and anxiety: Secondary analysis of the WHO Collaborative Study on Psychological Problems in General Health Care
Title
Cross-cultural patterns of the association between varying levels of alcohol consumption and the common mental disorders of depression and anxiety: Secondary analysis of the WHO Collaborative Study on Psychological Problems in General Health Care
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2013
Authors
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Volume
133
Issue
3
Pagination
825 - 831
Date published
2013
ISBN
03768716 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, alcohol abstinence, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, Alcohol drinking/, Alcohol drinking/*epidemiology, Alcohol drinking/*psychology, Alcohol-Related Disorders, anxiety, anxiety disorder, Anxiety Disorders, article, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-Sectional Studies, cultural factor, Depression, Depressive disorders, disease association, drinking behavior, epidemiology, Female, generalized anxiety disorder, health status, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Middle Aged, prevalence, Primary Health Care, primary medical care, priority journal, Psychology, World Health Organization, Young Adult
Abstract
Background: Alcohol consumption is associated with several complications of both physical and mental health. Light or moderate alcohol consumption may have beneficial effects on physical or mental health but this effect is still controversial and research in the mental health field is relatively scarce. Our aim was to investigate the association between varying levels of alcohol consumption and the common mental disorders of depression and anxiety in a large international primary care sample. Methods: The sample consisted of 5438 primary care attenders from 14 countries who participated in the WHO Collaborative Study of Psychological Problems in General Health Care. Alcohol use was assessed using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the mental disorders were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Results: Light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of depression and generalized anxiety disorder compared to abstinence while excessive alcohol consumption was associated with a higher prevalence of depression. This non-linear association was not substantially affected after adjustment for a range of possible confounding variables, including the presence of chronic disease and the current physical status of participants and was evident in different drinking cultures. Conclusion: The study confirms that excessive drinking is associated with an increased prevalence of depression, but also raises the possibility that light/moderate drinking may be associated with a reduced prevalence of both depression and anxiety. Any causal interpretation of this association is difficult in the context of this cross-sectional study and further longitudinal studies are needed.