THURS-073 - Poor Mental Health Associated with Multiple Alcohol Use Measures Among Male and Female Texas Adults
Thursday, April 23, 2026
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM PST
Location: Plaza Foyer, Plaza Level
Area of Responsibility: Area IV: Evaluation and Research Keywords: Alcohol and Substance Abuse@@@Health Research@@@Mental Health, Subcompetencies: 4.3.6 Analyze data., 4.4 Interpret data. Research or Practice: Research
Vice Provost and Professor Texas State University San Marcos, Texas, United States
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Describe the relationship between self-reported poor mental health days and alcohol use behaviors among Texas adults.
Explain how gender and a prior diagnosis of a depressive disorder independently and interactively influence alcohol use among Texas adults
Detail how mental health may serve as a predictor for alcohol use among Texas adult males.
Brief Abstract Summary: Discover how gender and a prior diagnosis of a depressive disorder may shape the associations between mental health measures and alcohol use measures among a sample of Texas adults from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Two-way ANOVAs examined the effects of gender and depressive diagnosis on mental health and alcohol outcomes. Multiple linear regressions predicted alcohol use behaviors from mental health, gender, and diagnosis. Gender and depressive diagnosis predicted poor mental health days, with diagnosed individuals reporting more poor mental health, regardless of gender. Males reported higher overall alcohol drinking levels than females. Poor mental health days were positively associated with all alcohol outcomes even after controlling for gender and diagnosis. Mental health days and male gender were consistent, significant predictors of all alcohol use outcomes, accounting for 1–5% of unique variance.
Detailed abstract description:
Background: Mental health and alcohol use are pressing public health concerns. While the relationship between mental health and alcohol use is well established, less is known about how gender and a prior diagnosis of a depressive disorder may shape this association. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze this relationship using a sample of Texas Adults from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Methods: Mental health was assessed by the number of days in the past 30 days participants reported poor mental health. Alcohol use was measured by three indicators: average number of alcoholic drinks per day, binge drinking frequency, and most drinks consumed on a single occasion. Two-way ANOVAs examined the effects of gender and depressive diagnosis on mental health and alcohol outcomes. Pearson and partial correlations assessed relationships among variables, and multiple linear regressions predicted alcohol use behaviors from mental health, gender, and diagnosis.
Results: A significant interaction between gender and depressive diagnosis predicted poor mental health days, with diagnosed individuals reporting more poor mental health, regardless of gender (F(1, 4358) = 8.57, p = .003). Males consumed more alcohol, binge drank more frequently and reported higher peak drinking levels than females (ps < .001). Poor mental health days were positively associated with all alcohol outcomes (rs = .097–.132), even after controlling for gender and diagnosis. Regression models showed that mental health days and male gender were consistent, significant predictors of all alcohol use outcomes, accounting for 1–5% of unique variance.
Conclusion: Poor mental health is a modest but consistent predictor of alcohol use, especially among males. Gender- and diagnosis-specific interventions may be warranted to address these disparities and inform targeted public health education strategies
