NAD
Commentary
NAD
Contextualizing alcohol’s harm to others in space and
over time
Katherine j. Karriker-Jaffe
The paper by Room, Laslett and Jiang
States (U.S.), important work has begun to
(2016) takes on formidable tasks: Sum-
identify settings that contribute to these
marizing the evolution of research on al-
harms. For example, a Canadian study
cohol’s harm to others (also described as
of male college students (Wells, Graham,
second-hand effects or externalities of
Tremblay, & Magyarody, 2011) found that
drinking (Giesbrecht, Cukier, & Steeves,
frequent bar-going was related to being a
2010)) and charting a research agenda for
victim of barroom aggression. Although
the future. After a delightfully engaging
the aggression was not explicitly attribut-
and very broad-ranging historical over-
ed to alcohol, one can imagine that alcohol
view of the social harms due to alcohol,
may have been involved. This echoes ear-
the authors focus on different methods
ly U.S. research by Fillmore (1985) which
for assessing alcohol’s harms to others,
suggested that bars are particularly risky
contrasting data provided by (and thus
contexts for alcohol-attributed violence;
conclusions based on) general population
she also identified the home as a setting
survey samples, health and social service
for violent victimization of women by
registries, and qualitative studies. In ad-
someone who had been drinking. More re-
dition to highlighting some general areas
cent U.S. national survey data have linked
of research need, they call for greater in-
drinking in bars with marital problems
tegration of these complementary sources
due to someone else’s drinking for both
of information on alcohol’s harm to others
women and men (Kaplan, Karriker-Jaffe, &
to inform intervention and policymaking.
Greenfield, in press). Another U.S. study
As discussed in the historical overview,
found that residence in socioeconomically
research in this area has blossomed in re-
disadvantaged neighborhoods puts both
cent years. Studies in North America and
men and women at elevated risk for harms
Scandinavia – and likely elsewhere – are
from others that they otherwise are less-
beginning to address some of the recog-
likely to experience; that is, for women,
nized gaps in the literature on alcohol’s
being a victim of alcohol-attributed crime,
harm to others. In Canada and the United
and for men, reporting alcohol-related
Acknowledgements
Funding support for the author provided by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
(R01AA022791 to T. Greenfield & K. Karriker-Jaffe, M-PIs, and R01AA023870 to T. Greenfield,
S. Wilsnack & K. Bloomfield, M-PIs). Views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsoring institutions. The author has no conflict of interest to report.
10.1515/nsad-2016-0040
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NORDIC STUDIES ON ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
483
family problems (Karriker-Jaffe & Green-
drinking (Lund et al., 2015). Results from
field, 2014). Future research examining
that ambitious project are forthcoming
social contexts of a wide variety of harms
and much anticipated. Research on harms
in different cultural settings will be very
to siblings of drinkers, noted as relatively
informative to broaden possibilities for
absent by Room and colleagues, also could
prevention and intervention.
be undertaken with population registry
In several Nordic countries, cutting-
data. Although this type of research will
edge studies have capitalized on linkages
not be possible in all national or cultural
between longitudinal population registers
contexts, there will be other opportuni-
to examine alcohol’s harm to others. Two
ties to take advantage of linked healthcare
examples of such work focus on harm
records of family members covered under
to children. One study in Finland used
the same insurance plan (such as in the
linked population registers to follow a
U.S.) or to design studies linking survey
birth cohort of children for their first sev-
and administrative service data, such as
en years of life (Raitasalo, Holmila, Aut-
alcohol treatment records. In addition
ti-Rämö, Notkola, & Tapanainen, 2015).
to providing essential longitudinal data,
Children born to mothers with register-
these registry-based studies also may of-
identified substance use problems were
fer the possibility to geolocate people over
significantly more likely to be hospitalized
their lifecourse to enable further examina-
due to injury and other causes, as well as
tions of the role of the geographic context
to be removed from the home by Child
in alcohol’s harm to others.
Welfare, than children born to mothers
As we continue to describe, quantify and
without such problems. That study also
ameliorate the wide range of harms attrib-
noted that children born to mothers with
utable to alcohol, attention to the social
register-identified co-morbid drug and al-
and cultural contexts of harm, as well as
cohol problems were at markedly elevated
the interplay of alcohol and drugs, is mer-
risk of these negative outcomes during
ited. As noted by Room and colleagues,
early childhood, particularly placement
“we are going to require a variety of study
into out-of-home care, which has impor-
methodologies, including more qualitative
tant implications for understanding differ-
and multimethod studies, and substantial
ences between sub-populations identified
linkage projects to enable analysis of data
in survey studies and those found in social
from the different windows in a common
service records. The availability of popu-
frame” (p. 472). Now that the curtains
lation register data also offers exciting op-
have been opened, my view shows there is
portunities to link such registries with sur-
a lot of room for further work on alcohol’s
vey data, which allows for assessment of
harm to others.
impacts of sub-clinical alcohol (and other
drug) use on children and other family
Declaration of Interest None.
members (Lund & Bukten, 2015). Another
study from Norway takes this approach to
examine registry-recorded adolescent outcomes linked to survey reports of parental
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V O L . 33. 2 0 1 6 . 5–6
Katherine J. Karriker-Jaffe, PhD
Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute
Emeryville, California U.S.A.
E-mail: [email protected]
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