Age Cohort Variation in Drinking Among People With Physical Impairments: Politically Oriented Coping in the Wake of the Great Recession

People with physical impairments are at greater risk of economic hardship and more alcohol-related problems compared with the general population. We address age cohort differences in modes of coping with economic adversity and the extent to which modes of coping explain the relationships between age cohort membership and drinking outcomes among people with physical impairments. One hundred seventy six respondents with physical impairments derived from a national sample completed a mail survey. Using structural equation model (SEM), we demonstrate that members of the Generation X age cohort manifest higher levels of alcohol consumption and problem-related drinking compared with baby boomers due to their lesser tendency to engage in politically oriented coping to deal with economic adversity. Within the context of social movements contesting the disadvantaged social status of people with disabilities, the Generation X age cohort manifests both more limited political engagement and higher levels of alcohol consumption and problem-related drinking among people with physical impairments.