The authors can only speculate about the precise reasons why lone elders in this study
were more likely to drink alcohol to excess, but loneliness, stress reduction and coping with
depression are probably all implicated. This research found a significant association between
living alone and stressful life events. This finding needs to be considered alongside the
finding that lone elder are 4.82 times more likely than those living with caregivers to have
been diagnosed as suffering from depression. There is the possibility both that poor stress
management contributes to depression, and that the depressed cope less well with stress.