Relationship between psychiatric distress and alcohol use: findings from the Eastern Baltimore Mental Health Survey

ABSTRACT— This study examined the nature and strength of relationships between levels of alcohol use and concurrent psychiatric distress among adults in the community aged 18–64 years. Data for this project were gathered by standardized interview methods during the 1981–1982 Eastern Baltimore Mental Health Survey. The 2558 survey respondents were initially selected by means of multistage probability sampling of adult household residents in eastern Baltimore, Maryland. This project's findings indicated gender differences in the relationships under study. There was a moderate degree of association between heavy alcohol use and psychiatric distress among women; at moderate levels of alcohol use, a modest association was also noted. In contrast, for males, the results suggested a small positive association between heavy alcohol use and concurrent psychiatric distress, although these findings were not conclusive.