Gender and consumption of alcohol: The impact of body composition, sensation seeking and coping styles

Objectives. To investigate the influence of body composition, sensation seeking and basic coping styles on gender differences in alcohol habits, i.e. (1) beverage preferences, (2) consumed amounts of alcohol per drinking occasion and (3) yearly consumption of alcohol. Design. Matched sample factorial design. A male and a female sample of adults were marched for age and education. Methods. The dependent variables were alcohol habits and the independent variables mere body composition, basic coping styles and sensation seeking. Using factorial ANOVAs with the independent variables as covariates (regression approach), we tested possible differences in alcohol habits of the male (N = 132) and the female (N = 225) sample. Results. Controlling for gender differences in body composition and coping styles reduced considerably the male excess in consumption of beer and liquor per drinking occasion, while the female excess of wine increased. The male excess in total yearly consumption of beer was reduced, but not removed. There were no significant gender differences in total yearly consumption of alcohol after controlling for the independent variables. Conclusions. Controlling for total body water, basic coping styles and sensation seeking, reduces considerably, but does not remove, gender differences in alcohol habits. In future studies on gender and alcohol, coping styles and factors allowing calculation of body composition should be routinely registered.