Job loss and alcohol dependence among Blacks and Whites in a National Longitudinal Survey

ABSTRACT

We used the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to test whether the association between job loss and incidence of alcohol dependence differed across Blacks and Whites. Respondents were interviewed annually from 1979 to 1994; DSM-IV dependence was assessed in 1989 and 1994. Analyses included only those employed in 1989 and involved lagged logistic regressions predicting past-year dependence in 1994 from job loss during 1990–1993. Unexpectedly, results showed stronger and more robust associations between job loss and dependence among Whites (AOR = 1.93, p < .05) than among Blacks (AOR = 0.82, nonsignificant). Findings diverge from prior research, suggesting disparities may differ as a function of age and/or time.

KEYWORDS:

• African American
• alcohol
• alcohol problems
• alcohol use disorders
• racial/ethnic
• unemployment

Acknowledgments

Analysis was conducted with restricted access to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the BLS. The authors thank Camillia Lui, PhD, for her contributions to preparing data for this manuscript.