Parenthood and longitudinal changes in alcohol use – findings from two follow-up studies

The transition to parenthood is a significant life event that can influence various aspects of individuals’ lives, including alcohol consumption patterns in long-term. This study examines alcohol use changes in relation to parenthood in two Finnish cohorts.

Data were derived from two follow-up studies: the TAM cohort (ages 16, 22, 32, 42, and 52) and the FinnTwin16 cohort (16, 18, 25 and 35). We used generalized linear mixed model to examine the association of parenthood years and alcohol use from adolescence to mid-adulthood. Frequent alcohol use (FAU) and heavy episodic drinking (HED) were examined separately.

FAU increased with age in both cohorts, while HED peaked in late adolescence among women and in young adulthood among men. Prior to parenthood, alcohol use was generally lower in the more distant years and increased as transition approached in FinnTwin16. HED declined in the early years following the transition to parenthood, while FAU remained stable. In both women and men, long-term increases in alcohol use were observed around seven years after becoming a parent. Differences between parents and nonparents were limited.

These findings suggest that parenthood is associated especially with short-term reductions in HED, but that overall alcohol use tends to increase over time.