Increases in Risky Drinking During the COVID-19 Pandemic Assessed via Longitudinal Cohort Design: Associations With Racial Tensions, Financial Distress, Psychological Distress and Virus-Related Fears

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has created disruptions to daily life resulting in wide-spread unemployment and psychological distress. Recent studies have reported high rates of alcohol use during this time; however, longitudinal data remain scarce and factors associated with increases in high-risk drinking observed over time are unknown. Aims The current study examined changes in high-risk drinking patterns across four 7-day observation periods, prior to and following a university wide campus closure. Additionally, factors associated with changes in alcohol use patterns were examined including financial distress, psychological distress, impact of racial tensions and virus-related fears. Method Students (N = 1001) in the Midwestern USA completed repeated assessments between March and June 2020. Each survey included a timeline follow-back measure of alcohol use. Pandemic-related distress spanning several factors was assessed at the final follow-up. Results Risky drinking patterns increased significantly over time. Overall, psychological distress and impact of racial tensions were associated with higher rates of risky drinking, whereas COVID-19-related fears were associated with lower rates. However, only financial-related distress was associated with an increase in risky drinking patterns over time. Conclusions Increased risky drinking patterns observed in the current study may signal problems that are likely to persist even after the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on daily life ends. Individuals experiencing financial distress may represent a particularly high-risk group. Interventions targeting the cross-section of job loss, financial stress and problematic alcohol use will be important to identify.

Stressors experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and substance use among US college students

“…We should note that the discrimination item did not specifically refer to Black Americans or Asian American/Pacific Islanders, who were the most likely to experience discrimination during the pandemic ( Chen et al, 2020 ; Ruiz et al, 2020 ; C. Wu et al, 2021 ). We also did not find evidence to suggest that COVID-19 concern was associated with alcohol use net the effects of other stressors, which differs from findings that show virus-related fears were linked to lower rates of risky drinking ( Lechner et al, 2021 ). While COVID-19 concern has been linked to substance use in other studies ( Rogers et al, 2020 ), we only found that it was associated with marijuana use over the past 30 days.…”

“…In the COVID-19 pandemic, reports have been mixed, with some studies showing elevated rates of substance use in the general adult population ( Czeisler et al, 2020 )( Pollard et al, 2020 ). Prior studies have identified key stressors resulting from the pandemic, such as psychological distress, financial worries, racial tensions, personal or familial difficulties, social isolation and lack of social support ( Capasso et al, 2021 ; Currie, 2021 ; Lechner et al, 2021 ; MacMillan et al, 2021 ; Rolland et al, 2020 ). Studies have suggested that people may have used substances to cope with these COVID-19 stressors ( Czeisler et al, 2020 ) and the mental health symptoms resulting from the stressors ( Firkey et al, 2020 ; Horigian et al, 2020 ; Jones et al, 2021 ).…”

Alcohol use and the COVID-19 pandemic: Historical trends in drinking, contexts, and reasons for use among U.S. adults

“…Later studies have included cross-sectional panel or longitudinal methodology. Some of these key studies involved localized data (e.g., Bade et al, 2021 ; Charles et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2021 ; Fruehwirth et al, 2021 ; Graupensperger et al, 2021 ; Jackson et al, 2021 ; Lechner et al, 2021 ; Minhas et al, 2021 ; Ryerson et al, 2021 ; Salazar-Fernández et al, 2021 ; Ward et al, 2021 ), while others utilized national data. Of those using national data, some have included trend data ( Schulenberg et al, 2021 ) but have not specifically examined changes during the pandemic while controlling for existing trends; others have included limited data points (i.e., one or two) preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., Barbosa et al, 2021 ; Daly and Robinson, 2021 ; Oksanen et al, 2021 ; Pollard et al, 2020 ), while others included only data points after pandemic onset (e.g., Irizar et al, 2021 ; Nordeck et al, 2021 ).…”

Financial Disruption and Psychological Underpinning During COVID-19: A Review and Research Agenda

“…The mental health of students can play a significant role in handling the psychological issues related to COVID-19 and financial status, and for better academic performances ( Kokkinos et al, 2022 ). Care should be taken that the stress related to COVID and threats to financial wellbeing can increase the chances for negative addictions including alcohol ( Lechner et al, 2021 ; Rodriguez et al, 2021 ). The psychological linkages of the risk in financial wellbeing during COVID can have significant impacts on the children.…”