Gender Difference in Longitudinal Social and Personal Factors Related to Frequency of Alcohol Consumption of South Korean Adults: A Fixed-Effects Model

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal social and personal factors related to frequency of alcohol consumption by South Korean adults focused on comparisons between the men and women. Data came from the 2005-2016 Korea Welfare Panel Study. A fixed-effects model was used to examine the longitudinal correlations between dependent and independent variables. According to the present results, first, life satisfaction except for health satisfaction and marital status were not associated with alcohol consumption patterns by men. On the other hand, higher frequency of alcohol consumption by women is negatively associated with various life satisfaction variables and being married. Second, income levels were positively associated with higher frequency of alcohol consumption by men, whereas income levels were not associated with alcohol consumption by women. Finally, being employed was positively associated with higher frequency of alcohol consumption by both men and women. In conclusion, there are gender differences in how alcohol consumption is influenced by various sociocultural and life satisfaction factors in South Korea.