Young adult college students drink heavier and more frequently than their peers. It was reported that two-thirds of college students have drunk in the past 30 days, and one-third reported heavy drinking in the past two weeks. Psychological distress is a big contributor to hazardous alcohol use in college students. Students of color report that experiencing race-related stressors have a significant contribution to higher levels of psychological distress. These experiences can evoke many different methods of coping, such as risky alcohol use. The goal of this study was to assess whether perceived social support may act as a buffer between psychological distress and alcohol use disorder among students of color.
This study consisted of 211 college students: 79 identified as Asian, 62 as Black, 44 as multiracial, and 26 as Other. Perceived social support was measured via The 12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Depression and anxiety, loneliness, and alcohol use disorder were also measured. This study used a correlational research design as well as tested the moderation properties of various domains of perceived social support in the psychological distress alcohol use relationship.
The results of this study showed a positive correlation between psychological distress and alcohol use, which agrees with pre-existing literature. Results suggest that endorsement of psychological distress would indeed relate to higher alcohol use in students of color. Highlighting that it is essential to educate students of color on the impacts of psychological distress on their drinking behaviors, identify and evaluate the ways psychological distress manifests in students of color, and provide university administration with more information about the link between psychological distress and alcohol use among students of color.
Takeaway: Results of this study highlight that it is essential to educate students of color on the impacts of psychological distress on their drinking behaviors.