Dangerous alcohol consumption is a rampant behavior on university campuses in the United States, responsible for a litany of consequences which negatively impact significant portions of students’ lives. Additionally, college students are consuming cannabis at increasing rates, due in large part to changes in legislation and accessibility. While the long-term effects of cannabis consumption have not been studied to nearly the same extent as that of alcohol consumption, the growing body of literature suggests increased risk of respiratory injury as well as depressive and psychotic symptoms in chronic cannabis users. The COVID-19 pandemic has produced a wide range of alterations in societal operations, and researchers are eager to discover how it has influenced human behaviors related to recreational substance use. This study investigates changes in alcohol and cannabis use as well as mental health symptoms in a sample of college students pre- and post-pandemic.
The study’s sample was comprised of 4749 students from seven undergraduate universities across the United States who completed the Simulant Norms and Prevalence (SNAP) study between September 2019 and May 2020, which allowed for pre- and post-COVID closure observations. All seven schools had COVID-19 outbreak closures occurring between March 11 and 19 of 2020. The following measures were collected from the SNAP study: demographics, alcohol use (via Daily Drinking Questionnaire), alcohol consequences (via Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire), cannabis use (via modified Marijuana use Grid), cannabis consequences (via Brief Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire), and psychiatric symptoms (via DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure). 62.2% of the data collection occurred prior to school closures, and the remaining 37.8% occurred following closures. Data analysis was conducted using zero-inflated negative binomial regressions and incidence risk ratios.
The analysis found participants who completed the surveys after COVID-related school closures were found to have elevated measures of alcohol use, cannabis use and alcohol consequences. Binge drinking, however, was noted to be decreased following closures. Psychopathology symptoms related specifically to depression were also found to be increased in students completing the surveys post-closure.
Takeaway: the COVID-19 pandemic has appeared to alter substance use behaviors in university students, with multiple studies reporting varying degrees of behavioral shifts. The rise in substance use and depressive experiences creates a significant demand for mental healthcare in this population, among others.