Jr. Mertens et al., ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION, LIFE CONTEXT, AND COPING PREDICT MORTALITY AMONGLATE-MIDDLE-AGED DRINKERS AND FORMER DRINKERS, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 20(2), 1996, pp. 313-319
This study examined mortality risk for individuals in four alcohol con
sumption categories and identified life context and coping factors tha
t independently predicted mortality among late-middle-aged drinkers an
d former drinkers (n = 1869). Compared with light drinkers, former dri
nkers (current abstainers) were at increased mortality risk; moderate
drinkers were at decreased risk. Consistent with previous research on
older samples, heavy drinkers were not at increased risk. Abstainers'
increased risk was reduced in a model that controlled for life context
and coping factors. Other independent predictors of mortality include
d reporting an illness stressor, stressor severity, less participation
in activities with friends, greater use of resigned acceptance and al
ternative rewards coping, and less use of cognitive avoidance and emot
ional discharge coping. The findings support previous research on the
alcohol-mortality relationship among older adults, and highlight the f
act that abstainers' life stressors and avoidance coping responses may
be more important predictors of their mortality than their abstention
.