Association between caring for drinkers and the sociodemographic factors of caregivers in Thailand: data from the WHO-ThaiHealth project

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of various kinds of care for drinkers in Thailand and investigate the relationships between the sociodemographic factors of caring and the experiences of caring for drinkers. Methods: Secondary data from the World Health Organization (WHO)/ThaiHealth International Collaborative Research Project were analyzed. The survey included 1,695 participants aged between 18 and 70 years from four regions, and Bangkok. The data were collected using face-to-face interviews and collected a range of data on the impact of alcohol on others. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regressions are presented. Results: Among 1,580 respondents, approximately 695 respondents (45.41%) had given at least one type of care for a drinker in the last 12 months. Respondents took extra responsibility for cleaning the house of drinkers after drinking (n = 476:31.22%), followed by spending time caring for a drinker (n = 317: 21.48%) and driving or picking up a drinker (n = 301:19.82%). Men had a higher proportion of giving care than women (55.65% vs. 38.23%), with significant differences in all types of care (p-value < 0.001). Approximately two-thirds of respondents aged 18‒39 years reported giving any care for people who drink. Respondents who infrequently drank five or more standard drinks per day were 4.11 (95%CI 2.49 to 6.76) times more likely than non-drinkers to report giving any care, while those who frequently drank five or more standard drinks were 4.51 (95%CI 2.44 to 8.31) times more likely than non-drinkers to report the same. Discussion and conclusions: The study showed that the burden of caring for drinkers was more likely found in males and was positively associated with more drinking. Thus, a policy approach that reduces consumption would reduce the impact on the prevalence of caring for others.