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Alcohol and other drug use in older adults: results from a community needs assessment

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Abstract

Background

With the “Baby Boomer” generation reaching older adulthood, substance abuse treatment providers find themselves needing to address the unique needs of this population. Heavy drinking in adults ages 65 and over is strongly correlated with depression, anxiety, decreased social support, and poor health. However, while alcohol misuse has been shown to be predictive of a lower quality of life in older adults, the generalizability of these findings to urban dwelling, lower socioeconomic status individuals remains unclear.

Aims

To identify potential treatment needs of this population, a city-funded needs assessment was conducted.

Methods

Subjects were 249 individuals (44% male) who voluntarily completed measures of quality of life (QOL), depression, and substance abuse. Measures used included the Psychological General Well-Being Schedule, the Geriatric Depression Scale-15, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

Results

Alcohol or substance abuse was reported by over 20% of respondents, with 3.4% of respondents engaged in maladaptive alcohol use. Scores on the AUDIT were predictive of increased depression (r = − .209, p = .01), anxiety (r = − .201, p = .002), lower general well-being (r = − .154, p = .019), and decreased self-control (r = − .157, p = .017).

Discussion

A substantial percentage of the sample reported alcohol and substance misuse. Alcohol use was predictive of depression, global psychological distress, and decreased quality of life.

Conclusions

This needs assessment reinforces findings from previous studies and addresses the added dimension of examining this in an urban, lower socioeconomic population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University, 1021 S. 21st Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19146, USA

    Emily Loscalzo, Robert C. Sterling & Stephen P. Weinstein

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, 834 Walnut Street, Suite 110, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA

    Brooke Salzman

Authors
  1. Emily Loscalzo
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  2. Robert C. Sterling
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  3. Stephen P. Weinstein
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  4. Brooke Salzman
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Correspondence to Emily Loscalzo.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Statement of human rights/ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Loscalzo, E., Sterling, R.C., Weinstein, S.P. et al. Alcohol and other drug use in older adults: results from a community needs assessment. Aging Clin Exp Res 29, 1149–1155 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0718-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0718-z

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