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Addictive Behaviors

Alcohol Use and COVID Impacts In Successive Cohorts of Heavy Drinking College Students

(PS6-D93) Alcohol Use and COVID Impacts in Successive Cohorts of Heavy Drinking College Students

Saturday, November 19, 2022

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

KC

Kate B. Carey, Ph.D.

Professor
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Co-Author(s)

MH

Melissa Hatch, B.A.

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
AW

Andrew Weinstein, None

Graduate Research Assistant
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
AD

Angelo DiBello, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Center of Alcohol & Subtance Use Studies & GSAPP, Rutgers University
SCOTCH PLAINS, New Jersey
CN

Clayton Neighbors, Ph.D.

Professor
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

Introduction. Pandemic disruptions on college student drinking have been documented; common observations include increased frequency but decreased quantity of consumption during the initial lockdown period (e.g., Jackson et al., 2021). Continued lower levels of peak and binge drinking were observed on one campus when students returned to campus, compared to a pre-pandemic cohort (Wilson et al., in press). However, as classes and on-campus activities resume, little is known about the longer-term influence of the COVID pandemic on drinking behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine drinking behaviors and COVID impacts across 3 cohorts of heavy drinking students recruited in Fall 2020 (n=52), Spring 2021 (n=129), and Fall 2021 (n=121).

Method. Data were drawn from the baseline survey of an ongoing RCT evaluating 2 brief interventions for college students, conducted at 2 campuses. Participants were 302 students (65% female, 56% underclassmen, 34% non-Hispanic white) who met inclusion criteria of at least one heavy drinking episode and at least 2 alcohol-related consequences in the past month. Regression analyses evaluated semester effects, controlling for biological sex and site, on two sets of variables. The first related to alcohol consumption: perceived changes in drinking frequency and quantity relative to pre-COVID; drinking frequency, average quantity, and peak drinks; and frequency and quantity of pregaming in the last month. The second set consisted of ratings of financial and mental health impacts of COVID, perceived risk of getting COVID for self and for the community, and frequency of using 4 COVID precautions (physical distancing, masking, avoiding social events, and hand washing).

Results. Student perceptions of the frequency and quantity of their own drinking increased from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021, but no semester effects were seen on direct reports of frequency, binge frequency, or average quantity. A semester main effect was observed for increasing peak drinks [M(SD) = 5.9 (+3.4), 6.2 (+4.2), 7.3 (+4.7), respectively], and frequency of pregaming [M(SD) = 2.7 (+1.6), 3.1 (+1.7), 4.0 (+1.6), respectively]. With regard to COVID impacts, financial and mental health effects remained at equivalent levels across semesters. On scales from 1-7, endorsement of washing hands did not change across semesters (6.2 to 5.9); however significant reductions were seen in the likelihood of physical distancing (from 6.1 to 4.7), avoiding social events (4.6 to 2.7), and wearing masks in public (6.8 to 6.2) between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021. Perceptions of one’s own probability of getting COVID also went down significantly across semesters [M(SD) = 3.6 (+1.6), 3.2 (+1.7), 3.0 (+1.4)].

Conclusions. The COVID pandemic changed social and physical environments associated with college drinking. Tracking cohorts from return to campus after lockdowns revealed a gradual increase in some but not all markers of drinking; most likely to change were peak consumption and frequency of pregaming. Trends towards increased risky drinking practices were paralleled by reductions in perceptions of personal risk and engaging in COVID precautions. Campus prevention efforts should be aware of an increase in drinking risk taking among heavy drinkers.