Alcohol use, cannabis use, and psychopathology symptoms among college students before and after COVID-19

Abstract

College students have experienced significant disruptions related to COVID-19, and limited international data suggest they may be at elevated risk for mental health symptom increases related to COVID. Given their potentially elevated risk, our aim was to evaluate differences from pre-college closures to post-closure in mental health symptoms, alcohol, and cannabis use. Participants (N = 4749) were from seven U.S. public universities/colleges. They were 70.1 % female and 48.5 % white, non-Hispanic/Latino, with 48.1 % in their first college/university year. 30-day retrospective assessments of alcohol and cannabis use, and past 2-week retrospective assessments of anxiety, depression, anger, and insomnia were captured at the time of the survey. We examined differences between those providing data pre- and post-university closure via linear and negative binomial regressions. Alcohol and cannabis use days were 13 % and 24 % higher, respectively, from pre-to post-university closure; also, prevalence of any 30-day alcohol use and alcohol use consequences were both higher in the post-closure sample (odds ratios = 1.34 and 1.31, respectively). In contrast, days of binge alcohol use were 4 % lower in the post-closing sample. Depressive symptoms and anger were both modestly higher in post-closing participants ( d < 0.1), with no differences in anxiety symptoms or insomnia. The modest differences in substance use and mental health from pre-closure through two months post-college closure suggest unexpected resilience in a large and diverse sample of students. College health providers will need to identify those students experiencing the greatest increases in mental health symptoms and substance use, using innovative outreach and treatment.

Alcohol Use Disorders among Slovak and Czech University Students: A Closer Look at Tobacco Use, Cannabis Use and Socio-Demographic Characteristics

“…Universities and other educational institutions can be the perfect environment for raising students’ awareness of the problems of using not only alcohol, but also other addictive substances that are associated with alcohol use disorders (tobacco and cannabis). In respect to the continuing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that public health leaders, researchers, health professionals and parents understand the importance of improving health literacy with an emphasis on substance use, as they can have lasting effects on the health and social position of university students [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. In addition to providing information on current research, risks, guidance on early identification and other interventions for alcohol consumers, university education should not be left without motivating students to lead a healthy lifestyle without drinking alcohol, but also without smoking tobacco and cannabis.…”

“…According to Nasui et al [ 8 ], both male and female university drinkers engaged in other risky behaviours correlated with drinking. These patterns of behaviour have many consequences, whether it is a threat to health and life [ 9 ], reduced academic performance, missed classes and lower grades, memory blackouts, changes in brain function, lingering cognitive deficits, sexual assaults [ 10 ], but also poor mental health [ 11 ] or social problems [ 12 ]. Regarding determinants, it is well known that the male gender characteristic is a significant factor associated with increased alcohol use [ 13 , 14 ] and is therefore considered a predictor of alcohol use disorders [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Sleepless in Solitude—Insomnia Symptoms Severity and Psychopathological Symptoms among University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland

“…It includes seven items rating sleep onset, sleep maintenance, problem awakening, dissatisfaction with sleep, impairment in quality of life, interference of insomnia with functioning, and distress due to sleep problems. Based on the total scores, insomnia symptoms are graded as follows: absence of insomnia (0-7), subthreshold insomnia (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14), moderate insomnia (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21), severe insomnia (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28) [26].…”

“…It seems that poor mental condition caused by the pandemic may have led the students to consume increased amounts of psychoactive substances and tobacco, as numerous clinical studies [ 8 ] and national epidemiological surveys [ 9 ] indicated that most substance use disorders were positively significantly correlated with mood and anxiety disorders. Several studies conducted specifically on students have also shown such a correlation [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Alcohol Use and Gambling Associated with Impulsivity among a Swedish University Sample

“…However, Sweden did not enforce restrictions such as shutdown or total isolation at home, suggesting that students in this study may have been less affected. One study found that the academic achievement improved during the pandemic, which could indicate a decrease in alcohol use since the study also found that high use of alcohol was associated with lower academic performance [ 49 ] and another found that alcohol use increased [ 50 ]. Based on these two studies, it is hard to ascertain how COVID-19 might have influenced the results.…”