Substance-related coping behaviours among youth during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Romano, Isabella; Patte, Karen A.; Groh, Margaret de; Jiang, Ying; Wade, Terrance J.; Bélanger, Richard E.; Leatherdale, Scott T.

doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2021.100392

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…For example, Smith and collegues [ 27 ] indicated that males tend to consume alcohol to have fun (i.e., enhance one's ability to experience positive emotions), whereas females drink to diminish their experience of negative emotions and relieve stress or depression [ 26 ]. Recently, the study by Romano et al., [ 28 ] found that some female Canadian high school students used alcohol to cope during the early months of the pandemic, particularly those with poorer psychosocial well-being. Future studies may need to explore associations between the mental health of students and any changes in their alcohol use over the pandemic period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on youth Alcohol Consumption: longitudinal Changes From Pre-to Intra-pandemic Drinking in the COMPASS Study

Gohari

Varatharajan

MacKillop

et al. 2022

Journal of Adolescent Health

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on youth Alcohol Consumption: longitudinal Changes From Pre-to Intra-pandemic Drinking in the COMPASS Study

Gohari

Varatharajan

MacKillop

et al. 2022

Journal of Adolescent Health

Self Cite

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“…Additionally, while limited in its generalizability, retrospective assessment employed by the CRISIS survey is a valid means of acquiring retrospective data. Past survey-based studies have commonly assessed substance use retrospectively among respondents, in the past 6–12 months [ 52 , 53 ]. Self-report surveys, such as PANAS-X (Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule—Extended) that assess for ratings on negative emotions in the past year have also been validated and employed in studies on prior affective experiences [ 54 , 55 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Isolation-Mediated Exacerbation of Negative Affect in Young Drinkers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2022

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Emerging research on psychological adjustment during the COVID-19 outbreak has suggested that young people may be particularly vulnerable to increases in negative affect during the pandemic. However, the association between alcohol use in youth and change in negative affect during this unprecedented time is not clear. Using an online survey, this study obtained scores on negative affect (before and during the COVID-19 pandemic), pandemic-related stress, change in drinking frequency, and traits including resilience, impulsivity and anhedonia, from a sample of drinkers and non-drinkers, up to the age of 21. Young drinkers experienced a greater increase in negative affect during the pandemic compared to non-drinkers, and this differential rise in negative affect was mediated by the pandemic-related stress of social isolation. Young drinkers also experienced a decrease in alcohol use during the pandemic, but this was not associated with a change in negative affect. Interestingly, young drinkers with greater resilience and lower anhedonia reported less increase in negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic. Taken together, these results show that the greater increase in negative affect that young drinkers experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to their non-drinking counterparts, was mediated by pandemic-related social isolation. Moreover, greater resilience and lower anhedonia may have served as protective factors for mitigating the social isolation-induced worsening of negative affect in young drinkers during the pandemic. These findings may inform future studies investigating potential indicators of maladaptive affective responses to public health crises in vulnerable adolescent populations.

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“…This finding may be interpreted with bidirectional possibilities. Alcohol can be used as a coping strategy for depressive thoughts (i.e., self-medication theory) [ 67 ]. For example, a longitudinal study documented that young adults with more depressive symptoms before the pandemic were more resistant to reduce their frequency of alcohol use following the COVID-19 pandemic [ 68 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated with Self-Reported Changes in Alcohol Use among Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis between Canada and France

Coulaud

Airagnes

McGrath

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted young adults’ alcohol use patterns, little is known about how changes in alcohol use may differ across different settings. Our objective was to identify and compare factors associated with changes in alcohol use among young adults in Canada and France during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey in October–December 2020 with young adults aged 18–29 (n = 5185) in Canada and France. In each country, weighted multinomial logistic regressions were performed to identify factors associated with self-reported decrease and increase in alcohol use separately (reference: no change). Respectively, 33.4% and 21.4% reported an increase in alcohol use in Canada and France, while 22.9% and 33.5% reported a decrease. Being 25–29 was a predictor of decrease in Canada, while living away from family was associated with an increase in France. In both countries, participants were more likely to report an increase if they reported depressive symptoms, smoking tobacco, or cannabis use. Conversely, those who had been tested for COVID-19 and those who were highly compliant with COVID-19 preventive measures were more likely to report a decrease. Efforts are needed to develop alcohol use interventions for young adults, including in ways that prioritize those with mental health challenges.

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Substance-related coping behaviours among youth during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 23 publications

References 70 publications

Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on youth Alcohol Consumption: longitudinal Changes From Pre-to Intra-pandemic Drinking in the COMPASS Study

Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on youth Alcohol Consumption: longitudinal Changes From Pre-to Intra-pandemic Drinking in the COMPASS Study

Social Isolation-Mediated Exacerbation of Negative Affect in Young Drinkers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Factors Associated with Self-Reported Changes in Alcohol Use among Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis between Canada and France

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