Depressive Symptoms and Alcohol Use Among Male and Female University Students: Is Inner Meaning Fulfilment Protective?

Abstract

Alcohol use among students in tertiary institutions has long been established as a major public health concern. Also, previous research has shown that individuals with depression are particularly susceptible to alcohol use. There is, however, a paucity of empirical studies focusing on whether this relation is moderated by gender or buffered by a sense of inner meaning fulfilment. We assessed the moderating roles of gender and inner meaning fulfilment in the relationship between depression and alcohol use among university students in Nigeria. A correlational survey design was utilized. Data were collected from 1,173 students (57% male) aged between 16 and 36 years selected across six Nigerian universities. Data were subjected to SPSS v.23 for statistical analysis. Our findings show that depression, gender, inner meaning fulfilment significantly correlated with alcohol use. The effect of depression on alcohol was positive and significant (b=.439, se=.049, p=.000). Inner meaning fulfilment significantly moderated the relationship between depression and alcohol use (b=-.163, se=.034, p=.000). Depression was established as a significant risk factor for alcohol use, regardless of gender, and inner meaning fulfilment may buffer this association. Implications and recommendations are discussed.