Wives' convergence with their husbands' alcohol use: Social conditions as mediators

Objective: This study examines, in a general population, how the associatio n of wives' alcohol use with their husbands' is mediated by social conditio ns such as working and child-rearing roles, age, martial happiness and soci oeconomic levels. Method: Data come from the Quebec Health and Social Surve y 1992-93. The sample comprised 6,582 couples; 3,872 couples after weightin g. Regression analyses assessed the contribution of husbands' drinking to w ives' drinking, independently, as well as in interaction with social condit ions. Frequency of drinking in general and frequency of five or more drinks per occasion (5+) were analyzed. Results: Wives' drinking is positively re lated to their husbands' drinking, both in terms of frequency of drinking a nd, to a lesser degree, of frequency of 5+. The drinking frequency associat ion is not modified by working or child-rearing roles. nor by age, but is m ore marked for couples of higher socioeconomic levels and for wives happy w ith marital life. The frequency of 5+ association is not modified by marita l happiness or by wives' working roles, but is more marked for couples of h igher socioeconomic levels, for couples with a child at home and for younge r women. Conclusions: This study highlights the contribution of social fact ors to the association of wives' drinking with their husbands' and suggests that these social factors operate through structuring marital drinking int eractions. Further research is needed to clarify the complex social process es that mediate the spousal drinking association.