The COLIBAS Study—COVID-19 Lockdown Effects on Mood, Academic Functioning, Alcohol Consumption, and Perceived Immune Fitness: Data from Buenos Aires University Students

Abstract

A recent study was conducted in the Netherlands to evaluate the impact of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated lockdown periods on academic functioning, mood, and health correlates such as alcohol consumption. The study revealed that lockdowns were associated with a significantly poorer mood and a reduced perceived immune fitness. Overall, a reduction was seen in alcohol consumption during the lockdown periods. Academic functioning in terms of performance was unaffected; however, a significant reduction in interactions with other students and teachers was reported. There was, however, great variability between students as follows: both an increase and a reduction in alcohol consumption were reported, as well as improvements and poorer academic functioning. The aim of the current online study was to replicate these findings in Argentina. To this extent, a modified version of the survey was conducted among students at the University of Buenos Aires, which was adapted to the local lockdown measures. The survey assessed possible changes in self-reported academic functioning, mood, and health correlates, such as alcohol consumption, perceived immune functioning, and sleep quality compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrospective assessments were made for four periods, including (1) the period before COVID-19, (2) the first lockdown period (March–December 2020), (3) summer 2021 (January-March 2021, no lockdown), and (4) the second lockdown (from April 2021 to July 2021). This article describes the content of the survey and the corresponding dataset. The survey was completed by 508 participants.

Alcohol Consumption, Hangovers, and Smoking among Buenos Aires University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Informed consent was obtained from all participants. A detailed description of the study methodology and the corresponding dataset have been published elsewhere [ 16 ]. For the current analysis, only participants that consumed alcohol were included.…”

“…The data are published as open access in the journal MDPI Data and are available online as supplement to reference [ 16 ].…”

COVID-19 Lockdown Effects on Sleep, Immune Fitness, Mood, Quality of Life, and Academic Functioning: Survey Data from Turkish University Students

“…The lockdown effects on mood, health, and lifestyle changes, such as changes in alcohol consumption, [16] were associated with poorer academic performance and lower study grades during the COVID-19 pandemic [15,16]. This study was replicated in Germany [17,18] and Argentina [19,20]. Although comparable effects were found, cross-cultural differences were noted between the countries in the magnitude of the observed effects.…”

Proceedings of the 12th Alcohol Hangover Research Group Meeting, in Buenos Aires, Argentina

“…During the second lockdown, there was again a reduction in the number of standard drinks per week, hangover days per month, and subjective hangover severity of hangover occasions, but no reduction in the number of drinking days or binge drinking days per month, as compared to the time before the first lockdown, as well as the first summer between lockdowns. Analia Karadayian (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina) reported on alcohol consumption and hangover during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina [5,66]. COVID-19 pandemic effects on university students were analyzed in Argentina.…”

“…Alcohol hangover is a common consequence of excessive alcohol consumption [2] and is defined as "the combination of negative mental and physical symptoms which can be experienced after a single episode of alcohol consumption, starting when blood alcohol concentration (BAC) approaches zero" [3]. Alcohol hangover is associated with economic, physical, and psychological costs [4] that can exacerbate the impact of other stressful experiences, such as those of the COVID-19 pandemic [5][6][7]. In 2010, the Alcohol Hangover Research Group (AHRG) was founded to promote international research collaboration on alcohol hangover [8].…”