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Abstract
This dissertation reports on three studies related to alcohol-use disorders among baby boomers across the life course. The first study reports findings from a scoping review of 25 years of literature, focusing on the extent to which baby boomers are represented, as well as what treatments are effective across differential levels of study-design rigor. Among the most rigorously designed studies, cognitive behavior-based therapies and motivational-enhancement therapies were found to be potential candidates for effective alcohol use treatment among baby boomers. The second study explores changes in highly salient factors predicting alcohol-use disorders among baby boomers from a life course theoretical framework. This study found that, while predictive factors of alcohol-use disorders changed as baby boomers aged, the underlying trend suggested that factors characteristic of impulsivity remained across time. The third study explores salient predictors of alcohol-use among baby boomers who deny treatment need at two time periods. The results from this study suggest that brief generalized alcohol treatment may be ineffective in the treatment of baby boomers with alcohol-use disorders. Rather, as baby boomers enter older-adulthood, tailored interventions are needed in order to provide effective treatment for this large birth cohort. Each study discusses social work practice and future research recommendations. The final chapter concludes this dissertation providing implications related to social work policy.