Risky Alcohol Use and Romantic Relationships Among College Students: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Background

Risky alcohol use is frequent among college students and can be associated with functional outcomes. Bidirectional associations have been shown between alcohol use and the stability of romantic relationships, though little is known about the longitudinal association between risky alcohol use and romantic relationships in college and about college students’ perceived stress regarding one’s love life. Objectives: The present study aims to explore these relationships both cross-sectionally and at one-year follow-up.

Method

Data were drawn, from the French portion of the World Mental Health International College Student Survey initiative (WMH-ICS). First-year college students who completed an online survey (n = 1,624) and a second survey at one-year follow-up (n = 727) were included. Current romantic relationship status and stress regarding one’s love life, past-year risky alcohol use, lifetime presence of DSM-5 mental health disorders and sociodemographic correlates were assessed.

Results

Risky alcohol use was cross-sectionally associated with dating in multivariate models adjusting for lifetime mental disorders (aOR = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.31-2.20), and in particular with unsteady relationships (aOR = 2.87, 95%CI = 2.01-4.10), but was no longer associated with both one year later. Risky alcohol use was, however, not associated with severe perceived stress regarding one’s love life in multivariate models adjusting for lifetime mental disorders in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, while it was associated in bivariate models for both analyses.

Conclusions

These findings extend our understanding of the association between excessive drinking and romantic relationship patterns among college students underlying the importance of comorbid disorders.

Keywords:

• Risky alcohol use
• substance use
• alcohol
• college students
• romantic relationships
• perceived stress

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

Support from the Institut Universitaire de France was used to fund the study (M. Husky). Mathilde Janota was supported by the Institut National du Cancer under Grant (INCA_16033).