Separation has more impact on women’s drinking than men’sWomen are more likely than men to increase regular drinking during marital separation, according to a study by the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Population Health and Trinity College Dublin. They are also more likely to drink at higher levels in the years afterwards, the researchers found.
The study looked at the drinking and smoking habits of more than 13,000 people in Australia to understand ‘how people cope with the stress associated with marital separation’. Researchers found that drinking and smoking increased for both men and women in the years leading up to – and at the time of – separation. However, women were more likely to increase their regular drinking and, while men’s drinking and smoking rates eventually returned to pre-separation levels, women’s rates ‘remained somewhat elevated for many years after’.
Women with children had the highest increases in both drinking and smoking
Women with children had the highest increases in both drinking and smoking, the report says
Although binge drinking increased in the period leading up to separation, the rise was ‘less pronounced’ than increases in regular drinking. Women with children had the highest increases in both drinking and smoking, the report says, adding that ‘self-reported data may underestimate the true extent of smoking and drinking behaviours’.
The findings highlight the need to ‘address the unique challenges that parents, especially mothers, face during martial separation,’ said joint lead author Dr Nicole Kapelle. ‘Women and parents face social and structural pressures during separation that might push them towards unhealthy coping mechanisms.’
‘With nearly half of all marriages in Western societies ending in separation, understanding and addressing the health risks associated with this stressful life change is essential,’ added co-author Dr Andrea Tilstra. ‘Our study lays the groundwork for targeted support and interventions that can help individuals, particularly those at greatest risk of smoking and drinking, to adopt healthier coping strategies.’
separation drinking
Research has consistently found that women were being under-served by many alcohol and drug services in the UK
Although the situation has improved in recent years, research has consistently found that women were being under-served by many alcohol and drug services in the UK, with inaccessible appointment times for women with children, intimidating mixed-sex spaces, increased levels of stigma, and lack of female key workers frequently cited as major barriers to women accessing – and remaining in – treatment. Despite gender being cited as a priority for many drug strategies and policies, the reality was that there were ‘not enough programmes that are genuinely gender-based’, EUDA executive director Alexis Goosdeel told a recent webinar on the subject.
Meanwhile, police in Blackpool have become the latest to issue a warning to people who use drugs after the deaths of three people in the area. ‘An investigation is underway following the deaths of two men and one woman,’ said detective inspector Isobel Garratt. ‘These deaths are suspected to be drugs related. Our advice would be for users to seek immediate medical attention if they notice any different symptoms or start to feel unwell.’ The warning follows similar recent alerts from police in Camden and staff at NHS Dumfries & Galloway.
Breaking bonds, changing habits: understanding health behaviors during and after marital dissolution published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior available here
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