Trajectories of alcohol consumption among the elderly widowed population: A semi-parametric, group-based modeling approach

Even though research on the use, misuse, and abuse of alcohol among the elderly has burgeoned in recent decades (see reviews by Johnson, 2000, Kirchner et al., 2007 and Patterson and Jeste, 1999), only a few empirical studies have explored the post-bereavement alcohol consumption trajectories among the elderly widowed population. To fill this research gap, this study aims to examine the temporal processes underlying the relationship between widowhood and subsequent drinking behaviors among the elderly widowed population and to examine the potential predictors of these trajectories. The empirical work of this study is based on longitudinal data from the 1992 to 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). A semi-parametric mixture model (SPMM) is used to estimate the distinctive trajectories of post-bereavement alcohol consumption. Results reveal that the type of drinking trajectory that characterize the post-bereavement drinking behavior of an individual is largely dependent upon the characteristics of the individuals (e.g. gender), the health conditions and health behavior of deceased spouse, pre-bereavement alcohol consumption, and depression. Another important finding is that bereaved men seem to have greater difficulty overcoming the transitional burden associated with widowhood.

► Using the 1992 to 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this extends previous research to examine the temporal processes underlying the relationship between widowhood and subsequent drinking behaviors among the elderly widowed population and to examine the potential predictors of these trajectories.
► The semi-parametric mixture modeling (SPMM) approach found that that the type of drinking trajectory that characterize the post-bereavement drinking behavior of an individual is largely dependent upon the characteristics of the individuals (e.g. gender), the health conditions and health behavior of deceased spouse, prebereavement alcohol consumption, and depression.
► Men, respondents whose deceased spouses had cancer, and respondents who were married to a drinker seem to have greater difficulty overcoming the transitional burden associated with widowhood. They should be the main target of policy interventions designed to reduce alcohol use disorders.