Young adult college students are at elevated risk for heavy episodic drinking and related consequences. Stress is prevalent among college students and is associated with adverse mental health outcomes, including depression and suicidality; consistent with the tension reduction hypothesis, students may use alcohol and other substances for short-term relief when stressed, which can contribute to continued use and greater negative consequences. Coping strategies may shape these pathways: approach coping (actively addressing stressors) is generally linked to lower substance use, whereas avoidant coping (disengaging or distracting) is linked to higher use and more consequences, and prior work suggests coping can buffer or intensify the stress–substance use association. However, it remains unclear whether coping operates primarily as a moderator or mediator between perceived stress and substance use and related consequences; thus, the present study examines associations among perceived stress, coping, substance use (alcohol, cannabis, and club drugs), and substance-related consequences.
This study used a retrospective, self-report survey of 200 young adult undergraduate students at a large private university in the Southeastern United States. Perceived stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and coping style was assessed using the Brief COPE. Alcohol, cannabis, and club drug use were measured with versions of the Daily Drinking Questionnaire adapted for each substance. Substance-related consequences were assessed using a modified version of the Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using path analysis.
The study findings revealed that, in a typical week, 73% of participants reported alcohol use, 35% reported cannabis use, and 5% reported club drug use. Approach coping was inversely associated with alcohol use, whereas perceived stress and avoidant coping were not significantly related to alcohol use. By contrast, cannabis use was positively associated with avoidant coping but was not significantly associated with perceived stress or approach coping, and club drug use was not significantly associated with perceived stress or either coping style. Substance-related consequences were positively associated with avoidant coping and inversely associated with approach coping, while perceived stress was not directly associated with consequences. Moderation analyses indicated that neither approach nor avoidant coping significantly moderated the associations between perceived stress and substance use or consequences. Mediation analyses further showed that avoidant coping significantly mediated the relationships between perceived stress and cannabis use and between perceived stress and substance-related consequences, whereas approach coping did not; no significant mediation effects were observed for alcohol or club drug use.
Takeaway: Avoidant coping was associated with greater substance-related consequences, underscoring the value of interventions that strengthen approach coping and reduce avoidant coping to prevent negative substance use outcomes.