Marital status is a robust predictor of alcohol consumption in young adulthood; however, the extent to which observed associations are due to socialization or selection processes is unclear. The current study examined associations between marital status and alcohol use, assessed in a sample of 5,150 young adults (ages 18–30) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. A longitudinal sibling-comparison design controlled for family-level environmental and genetic selection factors and for an individual’s premarital trajectory of alcohol use. Nested model comparisons tested whether gender and age moderated the effects of marriage and divorce. Controlling for selection factors, the transition into marriage predicted decreases in alcohol consumption, and this effect was consistent across gender and age. Divorce predicted increased consumption, particularly for men. Findings support a causal relationship between changes in marital status and alcohol use, rather than an association due to selection factors and suggest gender-specific changes in alcohol use following divorce.
AmatoP. R.RogersS. J. (1997). A longitudinal study of marital problems and subsequent divorce. Journal of Marriage and Family, 59, 612–624.
2.
BachmanJ. G.O’MalleyP. M.SchulenbergJ. E.JohnstonL. D.BryantA. L.MerlineA. C. (2002). The decline of substance use in young adulthood: Changes in social activities, roles, and beliefs. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
3.
BachmanJ. G.WadsworthK. N.O'MalleyP. M.SchulenbergJ. (1997). Marriage, divorce, and parenthood during the transition to young adulthood: Impacts on drug use and abuse. In SchulenbergJ.MaggsJ. L.HurrelmannK. (Eds.), Health risks and developmental transitions during adolescence (pp. 246–279). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
4.
BernardJ. (1972). The future of marriage. New York, NY: World.
5.
BogartL. M.CollinsR. L.EllicksonP. L.MartinoS. C.KleinD. J. (2005). Effects of early and later marriage on women's alcohol use in young adulthood: A prospective analysis. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 66, 729–737.
6.
BoothA.EdwardsJ. N. (1985). Age at marriage and marriage instability. Journal of Marriage and Family, 47, 67–75.
7.
BorsariB.CareyK. B. (2001). Peer influences on college drinking: A review of the research. Journal of Substance Abuse, 13, 391–424.
8.
BurtS. A.DonnellanM. B.HumbadM. N.HicksB. M.McGueM.IaconoW. G. (2010). Does marriage inhibit antisocial behavior? An examination of selection vs. causation via a longitudinal twin design. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67, 1309–1315.
9.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Alcohol-related disease impact (ARDI). Atlanta, GA: Author. Retrieved September 18, 2011, fromhttp://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/ardi.htm
10.
ChassinL.PressonC. C.ShermanS. J.EdwardsD. A. (1992). The natural history of cigarette smoking and young adult social roles. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 328–347.
11.
ChatavY.WhismanM. A. (2007). Marital dissolution and psychiatric disorders: An investigation of risk factors. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 47, 1–13.
12.
CooperM. L.RussellM.SkinnerJ. B.FroneM. R.MudarP. (1992). Stress and alcohol use: Moderating effects of gender, coping, and alcohol expectancies. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 10, 139–152.
13.
CurranP. J.MuthénB. O.HarfordT. C. (1998). The influence of changes in marital status on developmental trajectories of alcohol use in young adults. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 59, 647–658.
14.
DawsonD. A.GrantB. F.RuanW. J. (2005). The association between stress and drinking: Modifying effects of gender and vulnerability. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 40, 453–460.
15.
DawsonD. A.GrantB. F.StinsonF. S.ChouP. S. (2006). Maturing out of alcohol dependence: The impact of transitional life events. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 67, 195–203.
16.
FieldsJ. (2004). Family and living arrangements, 2003: Current population reports. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau; 2003, 20–553. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-553.pdf
17.
FlowersN. T.NaimiT. S.BrewerR. D.ElderR. W.ShultsR. A.JilesR. (2008). Patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-impaired driving in the United States. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 32, 639–644.
18.
GothamH. J.SherK. J.WoodP. K. (1997). Predicting stability and change in frequency of intoxication from the college years to beyond: Individual difference and role transition variables. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 619–629.
19.
GothamH. J.SherK. J.WoodP. K. (2003). Alcohol involvement and developmental task completion during young adulthood. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 64, 32–42.
20.
GuoJ.CollinsL. M.HillK. G.HawkinsJ. D. (2000). Developmental pathways to alcohol abuse and dependence in young adulthood. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61, 799–808.
21.
HannaE. Z.FadenV. B.HarfordT. C. (1993). Marriage: Does it protect young women from alcoholism?Journal of Substance Abuse, 5, 1–14.
22.
HarfordT. C.HannaE. Z.FadenV. B. (1994). The long- and short-term effects of marriage on drinking. Journal of Substance Abuse, 6, 209–217.
23.
HeathA. C.JardineR.MartinN. G. (1989). Interactive effects of genotype and social environment on alcohol consumption in female twins. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 50, 38–48.
24.
HoffmanL. W. (1991). The influence of the family environment on personality: Accounting for sibling differences. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 187–203.
25.
HorwitzA. V.WhiteH. R. (1998). The relationship of cohabitation and mental health: A study of a young adult cohort. Journal of Marriage and Family, 60, 505–514.
26.
HorwitzA. V.WhiteH. R.Howell-WhiteS. (1996). Becoming married and mental health: A longitudinal study of a cohort of young adults. Journal of Marriage and Family, 58, 895–907.
27.
HuL.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.
28.
JessorR.JessorS. L. (1977). Problem behavior and psychosocial development: A Longitudinal Study of Youth. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
29.
KeyesK. M.HatzenbuehlerM. L.HasinD. S. (2011). Stressful life experiences, alcohol consumption, and alcohol use disorders: The epidemiologic evidence for four main types of stressors. Psychopharmacology, 218, 1–17.
30.
KieneS. M.BartaW. D.TennenH.ArmeliS. (2009). Alcohol, helping young adults to have unprotected sex with casual partners: Findings from a daily diary study of alcohol use and sexual behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44, 73–80.
31.
KohnM. LSchoolerC. (1983). Work and personality: An inquiry into the impact of social stratification. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
32.
LaheyB. B.D’OnofrioB. M. (2010). All in the family: Comparing siblings to test causal hypotheses regarding environment influences on behavior. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19, 319–323.
33.
LeonardK. E.Das EidenR. (1999). Husband’s and wife’s drinking: Unilateral or bilateral influences among newlyweds in a general population sample. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 13, 130–138.
34.
LeonardK. E.EidenR. D. (2007). Marital and family processes in the context of alcohol use and alcohol disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 3, 285–310.
35.
LeonardK. E.MudarP. (2004). Husbands' influence on wives' drinking: Testing a relationship motivation model in the early years of marriage. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18, 340–349.
36.
MartinoS. C.CollinsR. L.EllicksonP. L. (2004). Substance use and early marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 244–257.
37.
McArdleJ. J.NesselroadeJ. R. (2002). Growth curve analysis in contemporary psychological research. In SchinkaJ.VelicerW. (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychology: Vol. 2. Research methods in psychology (pp. 447–480). New York, NY: Wiley.
38.
Miller-TutzauerC.LeonardK. E.WindleM. (1991). Marriage and alcohol use: A longitudinal study of “maturing out.”Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 52, 434–440.
39.
MortimerJ. T.BormanK. T. (1988). Work experience and psychological development through the life span. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
40.
MuthénL. K.MuthénB. O. (1998–2007). Mplus user’s guide (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Author.
41.
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2006). Alcohol use and alcohol use disorders in the United States: Main findings from the 2001–2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Bethesda, MD: U.S. Alcohol Epidemiological Data Reference Manual.
42.
NewcombM. D.BentlerP. M. (1988). Impact of adolescent drug use and social support on problems of young adults: A longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 64–75.
43.
NockS. L. (1998). Marriage in men’s lives. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
44.
NockS. L. (2005). Marriage as a public issue. The Future of Children, 15, 13–32.
45.
O’MalleyP. M.JohnstonL. D. (2002). Epidemiology of alcohol and other drug use among American college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 23–39.
46.
PowerC.EstaughV. (1990). The role of family formation and dissolution in shaping drinking behaviour in early adulthood. British Journal of Addiction, 85, 521–530.
47.
PrescottC. A.KendlerK. S. (2001). Associations between marital status and alcohol consumption in a longitudinal study of female twins. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62, 589–604.
48.
ReczekC.PudrovskaT.CarrD.UmbersonD. (2012, August). Marital status, marital transitions, and alcohol use: A mixed-methods study. Paper presented at annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Denver, CO.
49.
Rhule-LouieD. M.McMahonR. J. (2007). Problem behavior and romantic relationships: Assortative mating, behavior contagion, and desistance. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 10, 53–100.
50.
RichardsonA.BuddT. (2003). Young adults, alcohol, crime and disorder. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 13, 5–17.
51.
SampsonR. J.LaubJ. H. (1990). Crime and deviance over the life course: The salience of adult social bonds. American Sociological Review, 55, 609–627.
52.
SchaferJ. L.GrahamJ. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7, 147–177.
53.
SchulenbergJ.MaggsJ. L.O’MalleyP. M. (2003). How and why the understanding of developmental continuity and discontinuity is important: The sample case of long-term consequences of adolescent substance use. In MortimerJ. T.ShanahanM. J. (Eds.), Handbook of the life course (pp. 413–436). New York, NY: Plenum Press.
54.
SmithK. P.ChristakisN. A. (2008). Social networks and health. Annual. Review of Sociology, 34, 405–429.
55.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2011). Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of national findings (NSDUH Series H-41, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4658). Rockville, MD: Author.
56.
TempleM. T.FillmoreK. M.HartkaE.JohnstoneB.LeinoE. V.MotoyoskiM. (1991). A meta-analysis of change in marital and employment status as predictors of alcohol consumption on a typical occasion. British Journal of Addiction, 86, 1269–1281.
57.
ToddM.ChassinL.PressonC. C.ShermanS. J. (1996). Role stress, role socialization, and cigarette smoking: Examining multiple roles and moderating variables. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 10, 211–221.
58.
UmbersonD.CrosnoeR.ReczekC. (2010). Social relationships and health behavior across the life course. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 139–157.
WaiteL. J.GallagherM. (2000). The case for marriage: Why married people are happier, healthier, and better off financially. New York, NY: Doubleday.
62.
WangJ.PattenS. B. (2002). Prospective study of frequent heavy alcohol use and the risk of major depression in the Canadian general population. Depression and Anxiety, 15, 42–45.
63.
WilsnackS. C.KlassenA. D.SchurB. E.WilsnackR. W. (1991). Predicting onset and chronicity of women’s problem drinking: A five-year longitudinal analysis. American Journal of Public Health, 81, 305–318.
64.
YamaguchiK.KandelD. B. (1985). On the resolution of role incompatibility: A life event history analysis of family roles and marijuana use. American Journal of Sociology, 90, 1284–1325.
65.
ZuckerR. A.FitzgeraldH. E.MosesH. D. (1995). Emergence of alcohol problems and the several alcoholisms: A developmental perspective on etiological theory and life course trajectory. In CicchettiD.CohenD. J., (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Vol. 2. Risk, disorder, & adaptation (pp. 677–711). New York, NY: Wiley.
