The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is an ongoing global health disaster that has affected almost every facet of society. From social distancing, to home-based work, to the triaging and allocation of healthcare resources, common forms of population-based human behaviors may prove to be altered to an indelible extent. Public alcohol consumption has been significantly decreased due to pandemic regulations regarding the closings of bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues. This two-part study aims to compare changes in alcohol use behaviors before and after the COVID-19 pandemic’s onset in a population of college students.
Part one of this study introduces a sample of 18 college students who elected to enroll in a series of interviews originally concerned with alcohol treatment intervention feedback, but later, added material regarding the pandemic’s impact on drinking (N=18, 56% female). The study took place from March 30, 2020 to April 26, 2020- 6 weeks after most college campuses closed. Over these four weeks, participants provided feedback of a mobile alcohol intervention platform, ending with a videoconference interview that not only reviewed the platform, but served to qualitatively measure the changes in drinking habits of each student. The transcript of each interview was analyzed using deductive coding which assessed common themes among participant responses. Results of this first part of the study found that students (1) increased drinking frequency, but decreased quantity, (2) wine and beer intake increased will liquor intake decreased, (3) the number of people with whom participants drank decreased, and (4) moving home decreased heavy alcohol consumption.
Part two of the study is comprised of a sample of 312 students from three large undergraduate universities who completed questionnaires concerning alcohol use and the COVID-19 pandemic during May of 2020, approximately two months after campus closures began (N=312). The questionnaires measured the following items (pre- and post-closure): alcohol use (via Daily Drinking Questionnaire), drinking contexts, and reasons, if any, for changes in drinking. Analysis of the questionnaire data was conducted using generalized estimating equations. Results were similar to that of Part 1, finding an increase in drinking frequency, a decrease in drinking quantity, and a decrease in hard liquor consumption. The most common reason for change in alcohol consumption was lack of social opportunities, reported by 88.8% of the sample. In the minority of the sample whose drinking increased, 66.3% did so for increased connection with other people, and 45% did so in efforts to cope.
Takeaway: Drinking behavior in college students in the United States is suggested to have been altered by the COVID-19 pandemic in manners related to decreased binge drinking, but increased drinking frequency. Alcohol treatment interventions occurring during pandemic regulations should target the deleterious psychological effects suffered by many in the population during the pandemic.