GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE RELATIONS BETWEEN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND DRINKING BEHAVIOR AMONG PROBLEM DRINKERS - A 3-WAVE STUDY

Prior research has suggested that the relation between depression and drinking behavior is stronger for women than for men. In a 3-wave stud y spanning 3 years, we examined the nature of reciprocal relations bet ween depressive symptoms and drinking behavior among women (n = 207) a nd men (n = 207) seeking detoxification or referral services for their drinking problems. Latent variable structural equation modeling analy ses revealed that more baseline depression was associated with less al cohol consumption 1 year later among women and men. However, later on, more depression predicted heavier alcohol consumption, but only among women. Among women and men, heavier alcohol consumption predicted mor e subsequent depression, although the timing of this effect differed b y gender. Reciprocal effects between depression and drinking problems were found only among men.