Hazardous alcohol use, drinking motives and COVID-19-related anxiety in college students

Abstract

Objective

This study examined the associations of anxiety and drinking motives with hazardous and binge alcohol use among young adults.

Participants

We recruited young adults (N = 182, mean age 25) between November 2020 and December 2020.

Methods

Linear regressions were used to evaluate relationships among hazardous alcohol use (US Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C [USAUDIT-C]), binge drinking (Alcohol Intake Questionnaire [AIQ]), PROMIS-Anxiety, COVID-19 related anxiety (CAS), and the drinking to cope with depression and anxiety subscales of the Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire.

Results

Sixty-two percent of participants reported hazardous drinking (USAUDIT-C score > 4). PROMIS Anxiety and CAS scores were 63.7 and 1.0, respectively. Scores were positively associated with drinking patterns. However, the drinking to cope with depression motive significantly mediated these associations.

Conclusions

After the onset of the pandemic, hazardous and binge drinking patterns among young adults were associated with drinking to cope with depression rather than anxiety.

Keywords:

• Alcohol use motives
• binge drinking
• COVID-19 related anxiety
• young adults

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 of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Vanderbilt University.