Reporting of problematic drinkers and the harm they cause: Assessing the role of alcohol use, sex, and age of those affected by a problematic drinker

Abstract

This study explores survey respondents' reports of alcohol-related harm created by another person's drinking and whether the experience of harm was influenced by the respondent's own risky drinking behavior and other relevant personal demographics (age and sex). Drawing from a cross-sectional survey of Australian adults, the study analyzes the likelihood that frequent risky drinkers, infrequent risky drinkers, nonrisky drinkers, and nondrinkers would report a problematic drinker and the different harms experienced as a result of the problematic drinker. The study also examines the type of harms experienced and the number of different harms experienced. Both unadjusted and adjusted models (accounting for age and sex) are reported. Results showed that respondents' own drinking behavior influenced their reporting of a problematic drinker and the breadth of harms reported. More frequent risky drinkers reported a problematic drinker than did nonrisky drinkers, but the difference in odds was not significant between nondrinkers and nonrisky drinkers, nor between infrequent risky drinkers and frequent risky drinkers. The reported average number of harms for infrequent and frequent risky drinking categories was less than that for nondrinkers but was not significant. There was a nonlinear negative relationship between the age of the respondent and the probability of reporting a problematic drinker, and, after accounting for age, compared to men, women were significantly more likely to report a problematic drinker. The study highlights some evidence for the effect that individuals who drink at riskier levels may experience more harms due to their heavier drinking social networks but downplay these experiences that others cause.