@article{ref1,
title="Identifying risk factors for late-onset (50+) alcohol use disorder and heavy drinking: a systematic review",
journal="Substance use and misuse",
year="2017",
author="Emiliussen, Jakob and Nielsen, Anette Søgaard and Andersen, Kjeld",
volume="52",
number="12",
pages="1575-1588",
abstract="This systematic review seeks to expand the description and understanding of late-onset AUD and asks &quot;Which risk factors have been reported for late-onset heavy drinking and AUD?&quot; METHOD: Using PRISMA guidelines, a literature review and search was performed on May 19, 2015 using the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and PsychInfo. Nine studies were included in the final review. <br><br>RESULTS: The search revealed that only very few studies have been conducted. Hence, the evidence is limited but suggests that stress, role/identity loss, and friends' approval of drinking are associated with an increased risk for late-onset AUD or heavy drinking, whereas retirement, death of a spouse or a close relative does not increase the risk. <br><br>DISCUSSION: Inherent differences in measurements and methodologies precluded a meta-analysis. Therefore, the results presented here are descriptive in nature. Most studies base their conclusions on a certain preconception of older adults with alcohol problems, which leads to a row of circular arguments. The factors that have been measured seem to have changed over time. <br><br>CONCLUSION: There has been a lack of focus on the field of late-onset AUD since the 1970s, which possibly has led to misrepresentations and preconceptions on the complex nature of late-onset AUD. There is limited evidence for any specific risk factor for late-onset AUD or heavy drinking. We suggest the adoption of a qualitative approach to uncover what is intrinsic to late-onset AUD followed by quantitative studies with more agreement on methods and definitions.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1082-6084",
doi="10.1080/10826084.2017.1293102",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2017.1293102"
}