Press release

Older couples drink more alcohol than single people

Older women in relationships are at greater risk of hazardous drinking and binge drinking than women without a partner, while such drinking behaviour is considerably more common among men. Older adults without a partner, especially women, generally drink less than those in a relationship.

In a new study, researchers at the Åland University of Applied Sciences, Åbo Akademi University and Umeå University examined how marital status and changes in marital status are linked to alcohol consumption among older adults in the regions of Ostrobothnia and South Ostrobothnia in Finland and the Västerbotten region in Sweden.

“The results show that women were more likely than men to abstain from alcohol. By contrast, men were more than three times as likely as women to drink at levels harmful to their health,” says Erika Boman, researcher at the Åland University of Applied Sciences and senior lecturer in nursing at Umeå University, who led the study.

Furthermore, the results show that the impact of changes in marital status differs between men and women. Older adults without a partner were more likely to abstain from alcohol than those in relationships. Particularly among women, hazardous drinking and binge drinking were more common among those living with a partner. The findings therefore do not suggest that alcohol is used as a long-term strategy for coping with the loss of a partner.

“Our results indicate that being in a relationship does not necessarily protect against hazardous drinking in later life. Rather, people in relationships may more often find themselves in social contexts where alcohol is consumed. This challenges the idea that being in a relationship is a protective factor and instead highlights the importance of social drinking cultures in later life,” says Fredrica Nyqvist, professor of gerontological care at Åbo Akademi University.

The study used data from postal surveys conducted in 2016 and 2021, obtained from the Gerontological Regional Database (GERDA), which covers Ostrobothnia and South Ostrobothnia as well as Västerbotten in Sweden. In 2016, questionnaires were sent to all individuals born in 1930, 1935, 1940, 1945 and 1950, except in Vaasa and Seinäjoki, where every other person was contacted, and in Skellefteå and Umeå, where every third person was contacted. A total of 9,386 people responded (63.4%). In 2021, the same sampling strategy was used, resulting in 11,984 respondents (51.7%).

The study Marital status and alcohol use among older adults: the mediating roles of depressive symptoms and loneliness has been published in the journal Ageing & Mental Health and is available in full here.

Further information:
Erika Boman
Erika.boman@ha.ax
Phone: +358 40 567 6939

Fredrica Nyqvist
Fredrica.Nyqvist@abo.fi
Phone +358 46 921 9439