Understanding drinking among midlife men in the United Kingdom: A systematic review of qualitative studies

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study reviews qualitative research into the sociocultural meanings and subjective experiences that midlife men in the United Kingdom (UK) associate with their drinking. In the UK, average weekly alcohol consumption is highest among midlife men, and they are disproportionately affected by alcohol harm. There is increasing recognition that public health messages to support behaviour change must be based on an in-depth understanding of drinking motivations and experiences.Study design and methodsSystematic literature review of studies exploring motivations for and experiences of drinking among UK men aged 45–60 using qualitative methodology. Medline, PsycINFO and the Social Science Citation Index were used, along with manual searches of key journals, Google searches and a call for evidence. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool was used to quality-assess papers. Thematic synthesis was used to combine and analyse the data.ResultsFrom 5172 titles and abstracts (1995–2018), 11 publications were included, representing 6 unique studies. Five themes were identified: ‘Drinking Motivations’; ‘Drinking Justifications’; ‘Drinking Strategies and Control’; ‘Social Norms and Identity’ and ‘Harm’. Motivations for drinking among midlife men were associated with relaxation, socialising and maintenance of male friendships. They justified drinking as a choice and emphasised their ability to meet responsibilities, which they contrasted with ‘problem drinkers’. Social norms governed drinking behaviours as an expression of masculinity.ConclusionThis review highlights the significance of the meanings and social importance of alcohol consumption among midlife men. Interventions using information and guidance should consider these when aiming to effectively influence the way this group drinks.

Construction workers' alcohol use, knowledge, perceptions of risk and workplace norms

“…The bi‐modal distribution of risky drinking suggests different drivers may be at play among younger versus middle‐aged workers and has important implications from a prevention and intervention perspective. Risky consumption among middle‐aged males may reflect midlife pressures, demanding work roles and high levels of stress, or emergent mental health problems [43–44] and is implicated in many health conditions which manifest in middle age, including diabetes, weight gain, high blood pressure, cancer and depression [45–46]. In addition, mid‐life is the peak age for alcohol‐related deaths and the time when work‐related performance/pressure is often greatest [47–49].…”

“Have a little less, feel a lot better”: Mixed-method evaluation of an alcohol intervention

“…The target group of men in mid-life was identified via research commissioned by Drinkaware ( Ipsos MORI, 2015 ), and other data indicating that mid-life men have the greatest alcohol-related mortality risk ( Office for National Statistics, 2016 ). The focus on home-drinking reflected midlife men’s greater willingness to moderate their individual drinking than their social drinking: the anticipated loss of benefits of social drinking has been reported as a reason for them not changing their behaviour ( Christmas and Souter, 2016 , Parke et al, 2018 ). Whereas government-backed campaigns in the UK typically refer to “units” of alcohol −10 mL/8 g of pure ethyl alcohol ( Furtwängler and de Visser, 2013 , UK Chief Medical Officers, 2016 ) - the HaLL campaign did not specify a maximum unit intake.…”

Sofrimento mental e gênero: os homens e o cuidado na rede de atenção psicossocial

“…Esses estudos são corroborados por Courtenay, que argumenta que ao assumirem maiores riscos à saúde, os homens se legitimam como o sexo 'mais forte', e isso ajuda a sustentar e reproduzir as iniquidades em saúde e as estruturas sociais que, por sua vez, reforçam e recompensam os hábitos prejudiciais à saúde dos homens (COURTENAY, 2000;PARKE et al, 2018).…”

“…Embora seja importante não essencializar o 'beber masculino' como uma prática uniforme, o que claramente não é, esses achados sugerem que as práticas de beber podem, pelo menos em parte, ser entendidas como uma maneira de alguns homens, em diferentes contextos culturais, demonstrarem formas de masculinidade idealizadas para assumirem posições de poder (PARKE et al, 2018). Por conseguinte, o uso dessa substância psicoativa lhes possibilita alterar o estado de consciência e acessar comportamentos e sentimentos anteriormente interditados, que idealizavam performar como parte do exercício de suas masculinidades.…”

“…Observa-se que o uso da bebida alcoólica é tido pelos entrevistados, e também pela literatura produzida sobre a temática, como uma ferramenta precária de expressão emocional e para resolução de problemas relacionais (PARKE et al, 2018), em especial, quando abordamos as dificuldades de diálogo e de expressão emocional típicas dos processos de subjetivação masculinos, que empobrecem o vocabulário emocional dos homens (NASCIMENTO, 2001), dificultando o reconhecimento de emoções na relações sociais (DONADON, 2015).…”