The purpose of this study is to examine whether mental health has a mediating effect on the relationship between traumatic experiences and problem drinking in adults, and to examine whether the influence of adult traumatic experiences on problem drinking through mental health differs depending on the level of social support.
The subjects of the study were 574 adults aged between 20s and 50s with traumatic experience. The data were collected by online research center with quota sampling based on demographical proportion. To analyze this research model, mediating effects and multi-group analysis were performed using structural equations.
Specifically, the mediating effects of mental health between traumatic experiences and problem drinking was investigated, and multiple groups were analyzed to find out what differences this model implies according to social support.
The main results are as follows.
First, traumatic experiences in adults had a positive effect on problem drinking. The higher the level of traumatic experience, the higher the level of problem drinking. Traumatic events of physical and mental violence experiences from family members are risk factors that increase the level of alcohol behavior and continue to drink repeatedly even after adulthood. Though these results, it was confirmed that past traumatic experience is a leading factor in problem drinking.
Second, traumatic experiences in adults had a positive effect on mental health. The higher the level of traumatic experience, the more mental health problems such as depression or anxiety were found.
Trauma experiences have long-term effects on mental health in adulthood, and because this characteristics lasts for a long period, the magnitude of damage and severity is expected to increase further.
Third, negative mental health had a positive effect on problem drinking. The act of using negative emotions such as depression and anxiety as alcohol rather strengthens drinking behavior, confirming that negative mental health can be an antecedent factor of problem drinking.
Fourth, it was found that negative mental health partially mediated in the relationship between traumatic experiences and problem drinking in adults. This means that the level of trauma experience has a direct influence on problem drinking, but there is also an effect on problem drinking through mental health. It was confirmed that the level of mental health is an important mediating factor affecting the process of problem drinking.
Fifth, the differences in groups were confirmed depending on the level of social support in the path from adult trauma experience to problem drinking through mental health. The difference in path coefficient effect was statistically significant depending on the social support group, which was identified as a protective factor.
These results confirm that environmental factors such as social support needs to be examined thoroughly when considering problem drinking and related risk factors.