COVID and college: how the pandemic impacted alcohol use disorder status among students

Abstract

Objective: Alcohol consumption patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic have varied notably. Participants: We examined the acute impact of the pandemic on alcohol use disorder (AUD) in a generalizable sample of college students who were surveyed pre-pandemic and re-surveyed in May 2020. Method: Items assessed pre-pandemic included DSM-5 AUD and mental health symptoms. A COVID-19 impacts questionnaire was administered, and alcohol and mental health items re-assessed. Results: AUD symptoms decreased from pre-pandemic to during the pandemic, demonstrating a change in trajectory compared to prior cohorts. Students with persistent AUD reported greater concurrent symptoms of PTSD, depression, and alcohol consumption than those with remitted AUD (ps ≤ .02), but not increased COVID-19 impact. Persistent AUD status was predicted by higher sensation seeking and alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Students with concurrent mental health problems are at continued risk for persistent AUD. Findings highlight the impact of the college environment and social context for drinking on AUD.

Keywords:

• Alcohol use disorder
• college
• longitudinal
• recovery
• stress

Acknowledgments

Spit for Science has been supported by Virginia Commonwealth University, P20 AA017828, R37AA011408, K02AA018755, P50 AA022537, and K01AA024152 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and UL1RR031990 from the National Center for Research Resources and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for Medical Research. This research was also supported by the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products at Virginia Commonwealth University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the NIH or the FDA. Data from this study are available to qualified researchers via dbGaP (phs001754.v4.p2). We would like to thank Dr. Danielle Dick for founding and directing the Spit for Science Registry from 2011–2022, and the Spit for Science participants for making this study a success, as well as the many University faculty, students, and staff who contributed to the design and implementation of the project as part of The Spit for Science Working Group: Director: Karen Chartier Co-Director: Ananda Amstadter. Past Founding Director: Danielle M. Dick. Registry management: Emily Lilley, Renolda Gelzinis, Anne Morris. Data cleaning and management: Katie Bountress, Amy E. Adkins, Nathaniel Thomas, Zoe Neale, Kimberly Pedersen, Thomas Bannard & Seung B. Cho. Data collection: Amy E. Adkins, Kimberly Pedersen, Peter Barr, Holly Byers, Erin C. Berenz, Erin Caraway, Seung B. Cho, James S. Clifford, Megan Cooke, Elizabeth Do, Alexis C. Edwards, Neeru Goyal, Laura M. Hack, Lisa J. Halberstadt, Sage Hawn, Sally Kuo, Emily Lasko, Jennifer Lend, Mackenzie Lind, Elizabeth Long, Alexandra Martelli, Jacquelyn L. Meyers, Kerry Mitchell, Ashlee Moore, Arden Moscati, Aashir Nasim, Zoe Neale, Jill Opalesky, Cassie Overstreet, A. Christian Pais, Kimberly Pedersen, Tarah Raldiris, Jessica Salvatore, Jeanne Savage, Rebecca Smith, David Sosnowski, Jinni Su, Nathaniel Thomas, Chloe Walker, Marcie Walsh, Teresa Willoughby, Madison Woodroof & Jia Yan. Genotypic data processing and cleaning: Cuie Sun, Brandon Wormley, Brien Riley, Fazil Aliev, Roseann Peterson & Bradley T. Webb.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Funding

Spit for science has been supported by Virginia Commonwealth University, P20 AA017828, R37AA011408, K02AA018755, P50 AA022537, and K01AA024152 from the NIAAA, and UL1RR031990 from the National Center for Research Resources and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. This research was also supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the NIH under Award Number U54DA036105 and the Center for Tobacco Products of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services under the award number 1H79TI083296-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the NIH or the FDA. Dr. Sheerin’s time is funded by grant NIAAA grant K01 AA025692; Dr. Amstadter’s time is partially funded by NIAAA grants K02 AA023239 and R01 AA020179. Rebecca Smith was supported by award 1F31AA028720-01A1.

Additional information

Funding

Spit for Science has been supported by Virginia Commonwealth University, P20 AA017828, R37AA011408, K02AA018755, P50 AA022537, and K01AA024152 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and UL1RR031990 from the National Center for Research Resources and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for Medical Research. This research was also supported by the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products at Virginia Commonwealth University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the NIH or the FDA. Data from this study are available to qualified researchers via dbGaP (phs001754.v4.p2). We would like to thank Dr. Danielle Dick for founding and directing the Spit for Science Registry from 2011–2022, and the Spit for Science participants for making this study a success, as well as the many University faculty, students, and staff who contributed to the design and implementation of the project as part of The Spit for Science Working Group: Director: Karen Chartier Co-Director: Ananda Amstadter. Past Founding Director: Danielle M. Dick. Registry management: Emily Lilley, Renolda Gelzinis, Anne Morris. Data cleaning and management: Katie Bountress, Amy E. Adkins, Nathaniel Thomas, Zoe Neale, Kimberly Pedersen, Thomas Bannard & Seung B. Cho. Data collection: Amy E. Adkins, Kimberly Pedersen, Peter Barr, Holly Byers, Erin C. Berenz, Erin Caraway, Seung B. Cho, James S. Clifford, Megan Cooke, Elizabeth Do, Alexis C. Edwards, Neeru Goyal, Laura M. Hack, Lisa J. Halberstadt, Sage Hawn, Sally Kuo, Emily Lasko, Jennifer Lend, Mackenzie Lind, Elizabeth Long, Alexandra Martelli, Jacquelyn L. Meyers, Kerry Mitchell, Ashlee Moore, Arden Moscati, Aashir Nasim, Zoe Neale, Jill Opalesky, Cassie Overstreet, A. Christian Pais, Kimberly Pedersen, Tarah Raldiris, Jessica Salvatore, Jeanne Savage, Rebecca Smith, David Sosnowski, Jinni Su, Nathaniel Thomas, Chloe Walker, Marcie Walsh, Teresa Willoughby, Madison Woodroof & Jia Yan. Genotypic data processing and cleaning: Cuie Sun, Brandon Wormley, Brien Riley, Fazil Aliev, Roseann Peterson & Bradley T. Webb.