Risk Factors Measured During Medical School for Later Hazardous Drinking: A 10-year, Longitudinal, Nationwide Study (NORDOC)

Abstract

Hazardous drinking and drinking to cope with tension during medical school were the most important predictors of later hazardous drinking and should be targets of preventive efforts in medical schools.

Contextual Factors and Mental Distress as Possible Predictors of Hazardous Drinking in Norwegian Medical Doctors: A 15-Year Longitudinal, Nationwide Study

“…Two nationwide cohorts of medical students (Medical Student Cohort and Young Doctor Cohort) who graduated 6 years apart were followed up for 15 years after graduation [8]. The cohorts were merged (n = 1,052), and the present data come from surveys at 4 similar time points: T1, final year in medical school (data collected in 1993/1994 and 1999, n = 892/1,052, 85% of the eligible sample); T2, 4 years after graduation (data collected in 1998 and 2003, n = 780/1,052, 74% of the eligible sample); T3, 10 years after graduation (data collected in 2003 and 2008, n = 708/1,052, 67% of the eligible sample); and T4, 15 years after graduation (data collected in 2008 and 2014, n = 598/1,052, 57% of the eligible sample).…”

“…Having no religious activity was measured at T1 using a variable that questions the frequency of engagement in any kind of religious activity and that has been described and validated in preceding studies [8,9]. …”

“…Having parents with alcohol problems was measured at T1 using a question that has previously been described and validated in this cohort [8]. …”

“…We have previously found a decline in hazardous drinking over the first 10 years after leaving medical school and identified individual risk factors [8]. To extend these observations further in the medical career, in the present study, we followed 2 cohorts of Norwegian Medical Students and Doctors (NORDOC) over the first 15 years after leaving medical school.…”

“…We have previously identified some early individual risk factors for hazardous drinking at medical school as male gender [8,9], having no children and having no religious activity [9], use of alcohol to cope with tension [8,9], and personality traits [10]. The effects of individual factors on hazardous drinking have not been measured repeatedly over time after medical school in doctors in Norway.…”