A prospective population based study of changes in alcohol use and binge drinking after a mass traumatic event

Abstract

Few studies have assessed changes in alcohol use before and after a massive disaster. We investigated the contribution of exposure to traumatic events and stressors related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to alcohol use and binge drinking. We used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics collected in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama on adults aged 18-85 (n=439): (1) data from 1968 to 2005 on household income; (2) data from 2005 and 2007 on total number of drinks per year and number of days the respondent binged; and (3) data from 2007 on exposure to hurricane-related traumatic events and post-hurricane stressors. Exposure to each additional hurricane-related traumatic event was associated with 79.2 more drinks and 2.46 times higher odds of binge drinking for more days in the past year (95% CI: 1.09, 5.55), while more post-disaster stressors were associated with 16.5 more drinks and 1.23 times higher odds of binge drinking for more days in the past year (95% CI: 0.99, 1.51). Respondents who had followed a lower lifetime income trajectory and were exposed to more lifetime traumatic events experienced the highest risk of reporting increased alcohol use given exposure to hurricane-related traumatic events and post-hurricane stressors. Disaster-related traumatic events and the proliferation of post-disaster stressors may result in increased post-disaster alcohol use and abuse. Disaster-related exposures may have a particularly strong impact among individuals with a history of social and economic adversity, widening preexisting health disparities.

Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Figures

Figure 1

Estimated income trajectories followed by respondent households from 1968–20051

Figure 2

Estimated association between the number of post-hurricane stressors (x-axis) and the difference in the number of drinks consumed in 2007 vs. 2005, by 1968–2005 income history

Figure 3

Estimated association between the number of hurricane-related traumatic events (x-axis) and the difference in the number of drinks consumed in 2007 vs. 2005, by lifetime exposure to traumatic events