Atypical Epidemiologic Finding in Association between Depression and Alcohol Use or Smoking in Korean Male: Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between substance use and depressive symptoms in a cohort of Koreans aged 45 years and older from a large, population-based study. Using the 2006 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, we estimated the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with smoking and alcohol use. METHODS: Depressive symptoms were measured using the CES-D 10-item scale. Age, marital status, educational attainment, employment and any disability were the control variables. Because there were gender differences in smoking and alcohol use, we also performed a separate analysis by gender. RESULTS: In the multivariable logistic regression, ex-drinkers were more likely to be depressed than non-drinkers (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.08-1.74 for males; OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.23-2.57 for females). Compared to non-drinkers, males with moderate drinking habits (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.90) were less likely to be depressed, whereas heavy male drinkers were more likely to be depressed (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.07-1.91). Female smokers were more likely to be depressed than female non-smokers (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.51-2.83). CONCLUSION: This study showed atypical pattern of relationship between smoking and depression and U-shaped relationship between depressive symptoms and alcohol consumption in male population. Both of these findings could be inferred from that these regional characteristics might be cross-sectional finding of chronologic transition result from a rapid rise of late life depression in Korea.