Substance Use Screening in Geriatric Primary Care: Cultural Issues and Alcohol Consumption in the Deep South.
Clin Gerontol
; : 1-9, 2024 Mar 12.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38469621
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate indicators of potentially hazardous alcohol use among older adults living in a region with high substance use stigma.METHODS:
Patients at a university-affiliated geriatrics clinic in the Deep South of theUS completed behavioral health screenings including self-reported alcohol use, symptoms of depression or anxiety, and cognitive functioning between 2018 and 2022.RESULTS:
Participants (N = 278) averaged 76.04 years of age (SD = 9.25), were predominantly female (70.9%), and non-Hispanic white (84.5%), with an averageof 6.08 comorbid diagnoses (SD = 2.86). Race/ethnicity, age, and symptoms of anxiety were associated with alcohol use and hazardous alcohol use, with non-Hispanic whites, younger individuals, and those with more anxiety symptoms reporting more alcohol use. Notably, alcohol use and hazardous alcohol use were associated with cognitive functioning in the dementia range.CONCLUSION:
Self-reported alcohol use is low in geriatric primary care in the Deep South, US, differs by race/ethnicity, and is predictive of cognitive impairment when alcohol use is hazardous. Issues of trust and stigma may play a role in self-report ofstigmatized behaviors. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Self-reported alcohol intake must be considered within the cultural context of regional stigma. Recommendations to address this are provided.
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Year:
2024
Type:
Article