‘Mother’s Ruin’—Why Sex and Gender Differences in the Field of Alcohol Research Need Consideration

Agabio, Roberta; Sinclair, Julia

doi:10.1093/alcalc/agz053

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In addition, we show here that the relationship between brain age gap and certain cognitive functions is sex-dependent where we observed significant negative correlation between brain age gap and language z-score only in women. These results of sex-specific effect of brain age gap on cognitive function support our hypothesis and lend more evidence to the concept of women's vulnerability to alcohol drinking in in a range of cognitive process (96). More importantly, our study and others (62-66, 97) bring more attention to the need for sex-difference studies in brain morphology differences with aging.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Sex-difference in the association between social drinking, structural brain aging and cognitive function in older individuals free of cognitive impairment

Abulseoud,

Caparelli,

Krell‐Roesch

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

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BackgroundWe investigated a potential sex difference in the relationship between alcohol consumption, brain age gap and cognitive function in older adults without cognitive impairment from the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.MethodsSelf-reported alcohol consumption was collected using the food-frequency questionnaire. A battery of cognitive testing assessed performance in four different domains: attention, memory, language, and visuospatial. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted using 3-T scanners (Signa; GE Healthcare). Brain age was estimated using the Brain-Age Regression Analysis and Computational Utility Software (BARACUS). We calculated the brain age gap as the difference between predicted brain age and chronological age.ResultsThe sample consisted of 269 participants [55% men (n=148) and 45% women (n=121) with a mean age of 79.2 ± 4.6 and 79.5 ± 4.7 years respectively]. Women had significantly better performance compared to men in memory, (1.12 ± 0.87 vs 0.57 ± 0.89, P<0.0001) language (0.66 ± 0.8 vs 0.33 ± 0.72, P=0.0006) and attention (0.79 ± 0.87 vs 0.39 ± 0.83, P=0.0002) z-scores. Men scored higher in visuospatial skills (0.71 ± 0.91 vs 0.44 ± 0.90, P=0.016). Compared to participants who reported zero alcohol drinking (n=121), those who reported alcohol consumption over the year prior to study enrollment (n=148) scored significantly higher in all four cognitive domains [memory: F3,268 = 5.257, P=0.002, Language: F3,258 = 12.047, P<0.001, Attention: F3,260 = 22.036, P<0.001, and Visuospatial: F3,261 = 9.326, P<0.001] after correcting for age and years of education. In addition, we found a significant positive correlation between alcohol consumption and the brain age gap (P=0.03). Post hoc regression analysis for each sex with language z-score revealed a significant negative correlation between brain age gap and language z-scores in women only (P=0.008).ConclusionAmong older adults who report alcohol drinking, there is a positive association between higher average daily alcohol consumption and accelerated brain aging despite the fact that drinkers had better cognitive performance compared to zero drinkers. In women only, accelerated brain aging is associated with worse performance in language cognitive domain. Older adult women seem to be vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol on brain structure and on certain cognitive functions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Sex-difference in the association between social drinking, structural brain aging and cognitive function in older individuals free of cognitive impairment

Abulseoud,

Caparelli,

Krell‐Roesch

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

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“…Table 1 details the participants' pseudonyms, ages and their length of time in recovery. In response to calls for research that specifically addresses the sex and gender differences regarding women's alcohol use [11] and their sex-specific treatment needs [10,12], women's experiences were the sole focus of this research project. To mitigate the risk that interviews could destabilise the recovery of participants (due to the discussion of past drinking practices and other potentially sensitive topics), it was required that participants had at least 6 months of continuous sobriety and were not undergoing medical treatment for their previous drinking behaviours at the time of interview.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘It's kind of like weaning. I had to wean myself off of wine’: Navigating no‐ and low‐alcohol drinks as potential harm reduction tools and relapse triggers by women in recovery in the UK

Davey

2023

Drug and Alcohol Review

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IntroductionConcerns have been raised that consumption of no‐ and low‐alcohol drinks by those who are in recovery could lead to a relapse to past drinking behaviours. However, little is known regarding how individuals use these products to substitute alcohol and support their sobriety.MethodsThis article draws on an ethnographic study of women's experiences of recovery within online sobriety communities in which semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 25 UK‐based women. The dataset was analysed and coded from a pragmatist feminist standpoint using a grounded theoretical approach to specifically address the research question: ‘How do women in recovery navigate the protective and risk factors associated with no‐ and low‐alcohol drinks through practices of consumption?’ResultsWomen in recovery navigate no‐ and low‐alcohol drinks as potential harm‐reduction tools and relapse triggers by engaging in nuanced practices of substitution. Contrasting examples include direct substitution and temporary avoidance in early recovery.Discussion and ConclusionsSubstitution practices are informed by the temporality of participants' recovery journeys, the social situation, and the products. Participants selectively replicate and resist their former drinking practices to balance their perceived harm‐reduction benefits and relapse triggers of no‐ and low‐alcohol drinks. Important considerations are raised for those in recovery who may want to use no‐ and low‐alcohol drinks as a harm reduction tool, and for recovery modalities that promote them. It concludes with calls for more clarity regarding the definition and labelling of no‐ and low‐alcohol drinks, and for a greater understanding of their use across different recovery cultures.

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Retracted: Gender Differences in Alcohol Treatment

Blendberg

Àrnadottir

Tarp

et al. 2020

Alcohol and Alcoholism

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Aims Alcohol consumption is a threat to health worldwide and leads to substantial expenses for society. Previous studies have found differences between women and men regarding drinking behaviour and concluded that women need a more multipart type of alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. This study aims to examine the differences in outcome between women and men who have completed public outpatient alcohol treatment. Methods A total of 3452 patients, who completed AUD treatment from 2006 to 2018, were included in this follow-up study. Data were collected from the Odense Alcohol Treatment Database. Analyses were performed using a χ2 test and multiple logistic regression. Results The calculations showed that women in AUD treatment had a better outcome if they had children (AOR 0.46, P ≤ 0.001) or were living with a partner with AUD (AOR 0.25–0.33, P ≤ 0.001). Women had a worse outcome if they had a higher educational level (AOR 1.40–1.69, P ≤ 0.001) or were employed (AOR 1.66–1.78, P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions This study found that women had more problems associated with alcohol consumption than men, both before and after completion of AUD treatment. Women with employment or education had a poorer outcome than their male counterparts, whereas childcare responsibilities or having a partner with AUD provided a better outcome.

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‘Mother’s Ruin’—Why Sex and Gender Differences in the Field of Alcohol Research Need Consideration

Cited by 5 publications

References 34 publications

Sex-difference in the association between social drinking, structural brain aging and cognitive function in older individuals free of cognitive impairment

Sex-difference in the association between social drinking, structural brain aging and cognitive function in older individuals free of cognitive impairment

‘It's kind of like weaning. I had to wean myself off of wine’: Navigating no‐ and low‐alcohol drinks as potential harm reduction tools and relapse triggers by women in recovery in the UK

Retracted: Gender Differences in Alcohol Treatment

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