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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 7, Issue 5 (Suppl)
J Palliat Care Med, an open access journal
ISSN: 2165-7386
Geriatrics 2017
September 4-5, 2017
September 4-5, 2017 | Edinburgh, Scotland
Geriatrics Gerontology & Palliative Nursing
7
th
International Conference on
DRINKING MOTIVES OF COMMUNITY DWELLING OLDER ADULTS AND ITS ASSOCIATED
FACTORS
Yannic van Gils
a
, Eva Dierckx
b
, Erik Franck
a
and
Bas van Alphen
b
a
University of Antwerp, Belgium
b
Free University of Brussels, Belgium
Statement of the Problem:
Although a decrease in alcohol consumption by older adults has been demonstrated, the number of
older adults using alcohol is growing. Due to the ageing processes, older adults are more vulnerable to the adverse consequences of
alcohol use. There is little knowledge about the reasons why older adults are using alcohol despite the fact that drinking motives are
an important factor in predicting alcohol use and alcohol problems. Recent studies in older populations reported the association
between drinking for social reasons and binge drinking. Drinking to cope has been linked to alcohol related problems. The purpose
of this study is to describe the drinking motives of older adults and its associations with alcohol use and alcohol related problems.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation:
In a retrospective cross sectional research the alcohol use and drinking motives of
community dwelling older adults were studied. The study sample consisted of 1093 adult’s aged 65 years and older using alcohol
at the time of the interview. The participants were questioned about their alcohol use with the extended version of the AUDIT. The
Drinking Motives Questionnaire and the geriatric version of the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test were used for the registration of
the drinking motives and the alcohol related problems respectively.
Findings:
The most frequent cited drinking motive for men and women are the social motives, followed by the enhancement and the
coping motives. The most relevant associations are moderate to strong positive associations between the enhancement motive and the
quantity of alcohol, between the coping and enhancement motives and binge drinking and between coping and enhancement motives
and self-reported alcohol related problems.
Conclusion & Significance:
Drinking motives can be associated with alcohol use and alcohol related problems in older adults.
Awareness among health care givers about this topic is necessary.
Biography
Yannic van Gils is a clinical psychologist and a psychotherapist with years of experience in education and clinical fields. The focus of her PhD research is to describe
the biopsychosocial factors that discriminate older adults at risk for alcohol related problems. Prevention and interventions are efficient strategies for older adults,
but still under recognized.
yannic.vangils@vub.ac.beYannic van Gils et al., J Palliat Care Med 2017, 7:5(Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7386-C1-011