Prevalence of binge drinking and relationships between masculine role discrepancy and binge drinking via discrepancy stress among Chinese men.

<bold>Background: </bold>Binge drinking is prevalent among male populations. Few studies have investigated masculine role discrepancy (i.e., the perception of being less masculine than the typical 'man')/discrepancy stress (i.e., the strain caused by perceived masculine role discrepancy) and binge drinking among men. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of binge drinking among Chinese men and the associations between masculine role discrepancy and binge drinking via discrepancy stress.<bold>Methods: </bold>A random and population-based telephone survey was conducted among Chinese male adults (n = 2000) in Hong Kong. Their levels of masculine role discrepancy and discrepancy stress and presence of binge drinking were tested.<bold>Results: </bold>We found that 12.3% of the participants had binge drinking behaviors during the last three months prior to the survey. Age and marital status were significantly associated with binge drinking behaviors. Discrepancy stress was positively associated with binge drinking, and it positively mediated the relationship between masculine role discrepancy and binge drinking. However, we found a negative direct association between masculine role discrepancy and binge drinking in the mediation model.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>The study may shed light on a relatively new and important research direction that links up gender roles and substance use problems. It contributes to an understanding of the potential health impact of gender-role related issues as well as determinants of drinking problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]