@article {8239, title = {Substance-use coping and self-rated health among US middle-aged and older adults.}, journal = {Addict Behav}, volume = {42}, year = {2015}, note = {Export Date: 20 January 2015}, month = {2015 Mar}, pages = {96-100}, publisher = {42}, abstract = {

The prevalence of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use among US middle-aged and older adults is increasing. A subset of this population uses substances to cope with stress, but the characteristics of these individuals, and the association between substance-use coping and health outcomes remain unclear. We identified correlates of substance-use coping and measured its association with self-rated health in a community-based sample of adults aged 54-99 in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). In the 2008 HRS, 1351 participants reported their frequency of prescription/other drug-, alcohol-, and cigarette-use coping with stress and reported self-rated health (excellent/very good, good, or fair/poor); 1201 of these participants also reported self-rated health in 2010. One in six participants frequently used substances to cope. The oldest participants were least likely to engage in frequent alcohol-use coping. Those with elevated depressive symptoms were more likely to frequently engage in cigarette- and prescription/other drug-use coping. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, participants who frequently used cigarettes (compared to participants who infrequently used cigarettes) to cope had 2.7 times (95\% CI=1.1-6.7) the odds of poor (vs. excellent) self-rated health. Relative to participants who infrequently used prescription/other drugs to cope, participants who frequently used prescription/other drugs to cope had 2.4 times (95\% CI=1.1-5.1) the odds of reporting poor self-rated health. The association between prescription/other drug-use coping in 2008 and self-rated health in 2010 was statistically significant (relative OR=3.5, 95\% CI=1.7-7.2). Participants engaging in substance-use coping likely have particular demographic and clinical characteristics. Interventions to reduce substance-use coping may prevent adverse health outcomes.

}, keywords = {Adaptation, Psychological, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alcohol Drinking, depression, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Smoking, Substance-Related Disorders, United States}, issn = {1873-6327}, doi = {10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.10.031}, author = {Pia M Mauro and Sarah L. Canham and Silvia S Martins and Adam P Spira} }