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Education, income and alcohol misuse: a stress process model

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study applies stress process theory to study and explain the negative association between socioeconomic status (SES) and alcohol misuse. SES is theorized to reduce alcohol misuse by reducing exposure to stressors and increasing access to resources.

Methods

The National Co-Morbidity panel sample (N = 4,979) interviewed in 1990–1992 and 2000–2002 are analyzed to estimate direct and indirect pathways between SES and alcohol misuse over time via stressors and resources.

Results

Higher education and income predict decreased alcohol misuse via internal and external locus of control. External locus of control is associated with increased alcohol intake over time, whereas internal locus of control is associated with a lower likelihood of developing future alcohol-related disorders. Income is also associated with increased alcohol misuse via religiosity, which is more common among people of low income, and protects against alcohol misuse.

Conclusions

SES is negatively associated with alcohol misuse because low SES increases people’s perceptions that their lives are determined by luck, and reduces their sense of personal control. However, low income has a countervailing negative influence on alcohol misuse via its association with religiosity.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health (Grant No. 1R03AA018570-01A1), and by research assistance from Carlene Gonzalez and Victoria Springer.

Conflict of interest

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

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology/300, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV, 89557-0300, USA

    Marta Elliott & Jennifer Lowman

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  1. Marta Elliott
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  2. Jennifer Lowman
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Correspondence to Marta Elliott.

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Elliott, M., Lowman, J. Education, income and alcohol misuse: a stress process model. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 50, 19–26 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0867-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0867-3

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