Symposia
Culture / Ethnicity / Race
Sowan Kang, M.S.
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Clarksburg, Maryland
Andrew Waters, PhD
Professor
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Bethesda, Maryland
Jeremy Luk, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethany Stangl, PhD
Staff Scientist
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Bethesda, Maryland
Melanie Schwandt, PhD
Staff Scientist
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Bethesda, Maryland
Nancy Diazgranados, M.D., M.S.
Deputy Clinical Director
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Bethesda, Maryland
Vijay Ramchandani, PhD
Senior Investigator
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Bethesda, Maryland
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in violence and harassment towards Asians and Asian-Americans. Some individuals cope with major stressors through self-medicating behaviors, such as alcohol consumption. The present study examines Asian Americans’ alcohol-related behaviors during the pandemic (termed “post-pandemic”) compared to pre-pandemic. Individuals with a wide range of alcohol use, and who had enrolled in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) natural history study between 2015 and 2020, were invited to participate. Participants completed a baseline survey which contained a pre-pandemic assessment and a post-pandemic assessment. Assessments included demographics, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS), Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS), Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ), and measures of affect, stress, and quality of life. Thirty-seven Asian-American participants (21 females) provided data for the current analysis; 91.9% were non-treatment seeking. The mean age of the participants was 38.5 years, they reported an average of 16.8 years of education, 45.7% reported a household income greater than $75,000, and 86% identified as non-Hispanic. In general, participants reported a decrease in positive affect, and an increase in negative affect and stress, compared to their pre-pandemic baseline. Additionally, participants’ quality of life significantly decreased from pre- to post-pandemic, and sleep quality also significantly decreased. Interestingly, participants reported significantly lower AUDIT total scores, AUDIT-C scores, and ADS scores post-pandemic (vs pre-pandemic). Scores on the DMQ Social scale also decreased from pre- to post-pandemic, suggesting a reduction in social motives for drinking post-pandemic (vs pre-pandemic). To fully understand this pattern of data, more research is necessary to better understand the motivating factors behind Asian-Americans’ alcohol-related behaviors. Future analyses will also examine changes in affect/stress and alcohol use behaviors over follow-up assessments, as well as longitudinal associations between affect/stress and alcohol use behaviors.