alcohol and fatal life trajectories in russia understanding narrative accounts of premature male death in the family酒精和致命的生活轨迹在俄罗斯理解家庭中男性过早死亡的叙事帐户.pdfVIP

Saburova et al. BMC Public Health 2011, 11:481 /1471-2458/11/481 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Alcohol and fatal life trajectories in Russia: understanding narrative accounts of premature male death in the family 1 2* 3 2 2 Lyudmila Saburova , Katherine Keenan , Natalia Bobrova , David A Leon and Diana Elbourne Abstract Background: In the post-Soviet period, Russian working-age men have suffered unusually high mortality rates. Earlier quantitative work found that part of this is attributable to hazardous and harmful patterns of alcohol consumption, which increased in the period of transition at a time of massive social and economic disruption and uncertainty. However, there has been very little work done to document and understand in detail the downward life trajectories of individual men who died prematurely from alcohol-related conditions. Building on an earlier case-control study, this unique qualitative study investigates the perceived interplay between men’s drinking careers, their employment and family history, health and eventual death. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with close relatives (most often the widow) of 19 men who died between 2003 and 2005 aged 25-54 years whose close relatives reported that alcohol contributed to their death. The study was conducted in a typical medium-sized Russian city. The relative’s accounts were analysed using thematic content analysis. Results: The accounts describe how hazardous drinking both contributed to serious employment, family and health problems, and was simultaneously used as a coping mechanism to deal with life crises and a decline in social status. The interviews highlighted the importance of the workplace and employment s