Alcohol Use and Mortality Among Older Couples in the United States: Evidence of Individual and Partner Effects

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Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan

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Ann Arbor, Michigan

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USA

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Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan

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Ann Arbor, Michigan

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USA

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Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan

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Ann Arbor, Michigan

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USA

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Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan

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Ann Arbor, Michigan

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USA

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan

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Ann Arbor, Michigan

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USA

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Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan

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Ann Arbor, Michigan

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USA

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Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan

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Ann Arbor, Michigan

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USA

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Abstract

Background and Objectives

Spouses with concordant (i.e., similar) drinking behaviors often report better quality marriages and are married longer compared with those who report discordant drinking behaviors. Less is known regarding whether concordant or discordant patterns have implications for health, as couples grow older. The present study examined whether drinking patterns among older couples are associated with mortality over time.

Research Design and Methods

The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a nationally representative sample of individuals and their partners (married/cohabiting) over age 50 in the United States, in which participants completed surveys every 2 years. Participants included 4,656 married/cohabiting different-sex couples (9,312 individuals) who completed at least 3 waves of the HRS from 1996 to 2016. Participants reported whether they drank alcohol at all in the last 3 months, and if so, the average amount they drank per week. Mortality data were from 2016.

Results

Analyses revealed concordant drinking spouses (both indicated they drank in the last 3 months) survived longer than discordant drinking spouses (1 partner drinks and the other does not) and concordant nondrinking spouses. Analysis of average drinks per week showed a quadratic association with mortality such that light drinking predicted better survival rates among individuals and their partners compared with abstaining and heavy drinking. Further, similar levels of drinking in terms of the amount of drinking were associated with greater survival, particularly among wives.

Discussion and Implications

This study moves the field forward by showing that survival varies as a function of one’s own and one’s partner’s drinking.

© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Topic:

• alcohol drinking
• alcoholic beverages
• marriage, life event
• spouse
• mortality

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