A woman's burden

Abstract

Purpose: Alcohol's secondhand effects include violence, financial problems, and emotional abuse. We examined mental health among adult women with a heavy drinker in their life. Methods: Using a sample of 1,503 women (13.1% African American, 14.5% Hispanic, 64.7% White) from the nationally representative 2015 US National Alcohol's Harm to Others Survey, we examined associations of personal well-being and emotional distress with having a heavy drinker in one's life, having a heavy drinker in the household, and the degree of harm caused by a known heavy drinker in the past year. Results: Two in five women had a heavy drinker in their life, and 6% lived with a heavy drinker. Among those with a heavy drinker in their life, 22% of women reported being negatively affected in the past year. In adjusted models, women with a heavy drinker in their life rated their personal well-being significantly lower than women without a known heavy drinker. Those with a heavy drinker in their household also had significantly lower personal well-being. The degree of harm from a heavy drinker was linked to lower personal well-being and increased emotional distress. Conclusions: Women with a heavy drinker in their life were more likely to report lower personal well-being than women without a known heavy drinker, especially when the heavy drinker lived with them. Screening for exposure to heavy drinkers and interventions to support women, such as increasing social support and enhancing coping strategies, and policies to reduce alcohol use may help improve women's mental health.