Mental illness mixes with alcohol: CrossCurrents Autumn 2003

CrossCurrents

The Motherisk Program in Toronto conducted a study to determine the best predictors of problem drinking in pregnancy, associated with a higher risk for fetal alcohol syndrome (FASD). Besides finding a significant association between TWEAK scores and problem drinking, results also indicated that having a psychiatric disorder is an important predictor of problem drinking. The study included a random sample of 200 women counselled in 2001, screened with TWEAK. Results showed that 28.5% of women who scored greater than three (indicative of problem drinking) were almost all white, had significantly more psychiatric disorders and pregnancy terminations, and were single. But the strongest predictor of problem drinking was having a psychiatric disorder, followed by the number of drinks consumed during weekends.

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