Mental distress, alcohol misuse, and cigarette use among persons with auditory, vision, or cognitive disabilities

ABSTRACT

Background

A scarcity of literature has compared the behavioral health outcomes – mental distress, alcohol misuse, and cigarette use, specifically – of individuals with and without auditory, vision, and cognitive disabilities. A better understanding of these differences could result in improved healthcare services for this important population.

Methods

We obtained self-report survey data from individuals living in 35 states in the United States (n = 100,505) from the 2016–2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). We estimated linear and generalized linear mixed models accounting for state of residence, the BRFSS complex survey design weights, and sociodemographic variables.

Results

Auditory (b = 0.79, p < .001), vision (b = 2.95, p < .001), and cognitive disabilities (b = 6.02, p < .001) were associated with increases in the number of self-reported mentally distressed days. Cognitive (aOR = 1.56, p < .001) and vision disabilities (aOR = 1.86, p < .001) were associated with increased likelihood of cigarette use. Cognitive disability (aOR = 1.18, p < .001) was associated with heavy alcohol consumption.

Conclusion

Recommendations for behavioral healthcare service delivery for these populations are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Sensory disabilities
• cognitive disabilities
• mental health
• substance use
• alcohol use

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.