Psychosocial health and hazardous alcohol use among 50‐ to 70‐year‐olds: A cross‐sectional latent profile analysis in south‐east Melbourne, Australia

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Abstract
Aims: We aimed to use Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to identify distinct profiles of psychosocial health among adults aged 50–70 years in Victoria, Australia, to identify predictors of profile membership and determine if profile membership is associated with differences in hazardous alcohol consumption. Design: A cross‐sectional exploratory study using observational data from the Beyond 50 longitudinal cohort collected between September 2023 and July 2024. Setting: Victoria, Australia. Participants: Eligible participants were aged 50–70 years and residing in the Frankston or Mornington Peninsula Local Government Areas. Their recent alcohol use was comparable to the wider Australian population (past 12‐month use 85.2% cohort vs. 84.4% age‐matched national estimate). The cohort consisted of 1059 adults (47% female and 53% males) aged 50–70 years [mean 61.0, standard deviation (SD) 6.0], representing 1.2% of the local target population. Measurements: University of California Loneliness Scale 4‐item (UCLA‐LS‐4), Duke Social Support Index (DSSI), General Anxiety Disorder‐7 (GAD‐7), Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9) and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT‐C). Low social connection was defined as limited social interaction and support alongside high loneliness. Poor mental health was reflected in elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results: Four psychosocial profiles were identified, reflecting differing levels of social connection and mental health: (1) low social connection with good mental health, (2) socially connected with good mental health, (3) low social connection with poor mental health and (4) socially connected with poor mental health. People who were younger [odds ratio (OR) = 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.85–0.94] and had lower educational attainment (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.34–0.58) were more likely to belong to the profile ‘low social connection, poor mental health’ than ‘socially connected, good mental health’. The profile ‘low social connection, good mental health’ showed the lowest probability (0.04) of receiving a positive screen for hazardous alcohol consumption (an AUDIT‐C score of 3/4 or higher for men/women), with the profile ‘socially connected, poor mental health’ having the highest (0.20). The overall chi‐squared (χ 2 ) test indicated statistically significant differences in the distribution of the risk of hazardous alcohol consumption across profiles [χ 2 = 21.15 (6), P < 0.05]. Summary: Latent profiles of psychosocial health appear to be statistically significantly associated with differences in alcohol consumption among adults aged 50–70 years in Victoria, Australia. The profile ‘socially connected, poor mental health’ has the highest probability of hazardous alcohol consumption, while ‘low social connection and good mental health’ has the lowest.
Funding Information
  • Ian Potter Foundation (31111278)

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