Department of Psychology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.
Department of Psychology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington.
J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2021 Mar;82(2):178-187.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in abrupt, drastic changes to daily life in many nations. Experiences within the United States have varied widely. In the State of Oregon in the early months of the pandemic protective protocols (e.g., social distancing) were comparatively high, resulting in concern for increases in loneliness and COVID-related stress. The present study of college students examined the indirect relationship of loneliness and other stressors to alcohol use, via drinking-to-cope motives.
A sample of traditional- and nontraditional-aged college students (N = 215; 68.1% female; mean age = 24.8 years) completed an online survey assessing COVID-19 experiences during shelter-in-place orders in Oregon over a 5-week period in April and May of 2020.
Cross-sectional structural equational modeling revealed that loneliness and COVID-19 news consumption were associated with stronger coping motives, whereas rated seriousness of COVID-19 was related to weaker coping motives. Coping motives, in turn, were related to more frequent past-30-day consumption; significant indirect effects were revealed for all three predictors on drinking frequency and heavy drinking frequency, via drinking-to-cope motives. Drinking-to-cope motives were also related to greater past-30-day marijuana use.
These findings provide insight into how COVID-related stressors and associated social relationship repercussions relate to alcohol and marijuana use and drinking-to-cope motivations while sheltering in place. These results have implications for how frequent substance use and coping-motivated use can be mitigated during a crisis.
COVID-19 大流行导致许多国家的日常生活发生了突然而剧烈的变化。美国的经验各不相同。在大流行的早期，俄勒冈州采取了相对较高的保护措施（例如，保持社交距离），这引发了人们对孤独感和与 COVID 相关的压力增加的担忧。本项针对大学生的研究通过饮酒应对动机，考察了孤独感和其他压力源与饮酒之间的间接关系。
一项针对传统和非传统年龄大学生的样本（N=215；女性占 68.1%；平均年龄为 24.8 岁）完成了一项在线调查，该调查评估了俄勒冈州在 2020 年 4 月至 5 月的 5 周内，就地避难期间的 COVID-19 经历。
横断面结构方程模型显示，孤独感和 COVID-19 新闻消费与更强的应对动机有关，而 COVID-19 的严重程度则与较弱的应对动机有关。应对动机反过来又与过去 30 天内更频繁的饮酒有关；所有三个预测因素都通过饮酒应对动机与饮酒频率和重度饮酒频率呈显著间接关系。饮酒应对动机也与过去 30 天内大麻使用量增加有关。
这些发现深入了解了 COVID 相关压力源以及相关的社会关系后果与酒精和大麻使用以及应对动机之间的关系，同时也为如何在避难期间减轻频繁的物质使用和应对动机使用提供了思路。
