The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about immense challenges for college students, especially for African-American students as hospitalizations and death rates are higher among this population. These stressors have generated mental health challenges for many young adults. This has led to use of substances, such as cannabis and alcohol, to cope with higher levels of stress and mental health effects. Optimism has been known to serve as a protective factor against alcohol, smoking, and substance use and may role in a role in individuals’ response to stress and mental health challenges. This study examines the effect of coping, optimism, and anxiety on substance use in African-American young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study’s sample consisted of 783 African-American college students from a university in the southeastern region of the United States. The brief resilience coping scale (BRCS) was used to assess students’ ability to cope with stress in adaptive ways. The life orientation test-revised (LOT-R) was used to evaluate students’ optimism. Participants were also asked to report any drug or alcohol use and were assessed for alcohol use disorders. Lastly, the coronavirus anxiety scale (CAS) was used to measure for anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was analyzed using Pearson product-movement correlation, independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analyses.
Results of the data analysis showed that COVID anxiety score was negatively associated with coping and optimism and positively correlated with alcohol and drug use. Males were identified to have more optimism and more alcohol use problems than females. Freshman students reported higher levels of alcohol use compared to other student classifications, and graduate students reported more optimism than freshman students.
Takeaway: Coping strategies and optimism may influence the relationship between COVID-19 related anxiety and substance use in African American college students.