Role of psychological distress on long‐term risky and heavy‐episodic drinking patterns in major cities and rural and remote areas

Abstract

Objective: Psychological distress and alcohol consumption are associated but few studies have focused on the association with problematic drinking in semiurban and rural settings. In this study, we assessed the role of psychological distress on various measures of problematic drinking in urban, semi-urban and rural settings. Design: Retrospective descriptive study Setting Setting: National Drug Strategy Household Survey population health survey data Participants: 151,341 Australian residents Main outcome measures: Problematic alcohol consumption categorised as either heavy-episodic drinking (defined as drinking 5 or more standard drinks at least once in the last 12 months) or long-term risky drinking (defined as drinking more than 730 standard drinks in the past 12 months) was the outcome variables.Psychological distress was identified from the K10 questionnaire. Participants were grouped into area of residence: urban, semi-urban and rural. Sex differences were also explored. Results:Poor-to-severe psychological distress was associated with higher odds of both long-term and heavy-episodic drinking. Being male alone increased the risk of both long-term and heavy-episodic drinking in all areas. When stratified by sex, being female and severe levels of psychological distress increased the risk of both long-term risky and heavy-episodic drinking. These risks were greater in non-urban environments. Conclusions:Poor mental health outcomes may exacerbate problematic drinking amongst females, especially those living in non-urban environments. Public health campaigns could both target these at-risk groups of females in non-urban settings and also account for the interplay between problematic drinking and mental health.

Mapping Problematic Drinking Trends over Time in Urban, Semi-Urban, and Rural Populations

“…Although dual diagnosis is a condition that incorporates two major public health issues, its understanding is lacking and is generally only studied in United States population groups [ 20 , 21 ]. In our study, we reported that psychological distress had a significant impact on increased risk for problematic alcohol use in females only [ 22 ].…”