Covid-19 brought immense psychological stress to people of all ages, but it did have a unique impact on college students. College students were sent home from their campuses and isolated from their peers for months. While adapting to a new remote format of learning. These sudden and dramatic changes have been shown to impact students’ mental health and wellness. The goal of this study is to examine substance use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study was initially about students’ emotional health and wellness, but during data collection, COVID-19 began, which allowed for a natural experiment to take place to understand the impact of COVID-19 on substance use changes among college students. All participants were aged 18-25 and full-time first-year undergraduate students. A total of 485 students completed all portions of the study. Which consisted of a full assessment of behavioral and emotional functioning at the beginning of the 2020 spring semester, the same full assessment at the end of the 2020 spring semester, and nightly surveys of mood and wellness behaviors. Students’ substance use was measured using the Alcohol Use Disorder Test (AUDIT) and Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10).
The results of this study showed that levels of marijuana and liquor use fell more than the use of beer/wine. Males experienced an increased rate of tobacco use, whereas females experienced a decrease in the rate of tobacco use. Overall, the nightly survey suggested that the early COVID-19 pandemic was associated with decreased substance use. Many of these students were moving home and into different environments. Showing that in the higher education community, there is a relationship between substance use and changes in social and living environments for college students.
Takeaway: At the start of the pandemic, there was a decrease in liquor and marijuana use among college students, showing a relationship between substance use and living environments.