Department of Human Development and Family Science, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA.
J Adolesc. 2022 Aug;94(6):844-854. doi: 10.1002/jad.12068. Epub 2022 Jun 27.
Problematic alcohol use and depression are prevalent in the college student population. The purpose of this study was to identify how personality and social-contextual factors in the first year of college work together to predict stable and potentially co-occurring alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depressive symptoms over a period of approximately 4 years.
Participants were first-year college students from the Southeastern United States (N = 209, 90% white, 62% female). Baseline data were collected in the first year of college and follow-up assessments were completed ~1 and ~4 years later (retention rates: 80%+, average ages ~19, 20, and 23 years, respectively). At each assessment, participants completed a comprehensive online survey assessing mental health and substance use, as well as personality, social support, stress, sleep, and other features of peer and romantic partner affiliations.
Results from our random-intercept cross-lagged panel model indicated AUD and depressive symptoms were more likely to co-occur in the transition out of rather than into college. Significant predictors of stable AUD symptoms across the ~4-year period included greater alcohol quantity, marijuana frequency, affiliation with antisocial/substance-using peers, and frequency of drinking with romantic partner in the first year of college. Significant predictors of stable depressive symptoms included greater constraint, greater negative emotionality, lower positive emotionality, greater stress, and less weekday sleep.
Findings suggest that personality factors, stress, and sleep in the first year of college may be useful targets to screen for in efforts to reduce long-term depressive symptoms in the college context. Disrupting affiliation with antisocial/substance-using peers and romantic partners and reducing the high quantity of alcohol and frequency of marijuana may be more relevant to reducing long-term problematic alcohol use. Implications for incorporating individually-tailored approaches to prevention/intervention are addressed.
在大学生群体中，酗酒问题和抑郁问题普遍存在。本研究旨在确定大学一年级的人格和社会环境因素如何共同作用，预测大约 4 年内稳定且可能同时出现的酒精使用障碍（AUD）和抑郁症状。
参与者是来自美国东南部的大一学生（N=209，90%为白人，62%为女性）。基线数据在大学一年级时收集，随后在大约 1 年和 4 年后进行了随访评估（保留率：80%+，平均年龄分别为 19 岁、20 岁和 23 岁）。在每次评估中，参与者都完成了一项全面的在线调查，评估心理健康和物质使用情况，以及人格、社会支持、压力、睡眠和其他同伴和恋爱关系特征。
我们的随机截距交叉滞后面板模型结果表明，AUD 和抑郁症状更有可能在大学毕业而非入学时同时出现。在大约 4 年的时间里，稳定的 AUD 症状的显著预测因素包括：在大学一年级时更高的酒精摄入量、大麻使用频率、与反社会/滥用物质的同伴的关系以及与恋爱伴侣一起饮酒的频率。稳定的抑郁症状的显著预测因素包括：更大的约束、更高的消极情绪、更低的积极情绪、更大的压力和更少的工作日睡眠。
研究结果表明，大学一年级的人格因素、压力和睡眠可能是在大学环境中减少长期抑郁症状的有用筛查目标。打破与反社会/滥用物质的同伴和恋爱伴侣的关系，减少大量饮酒和大麻使用的频率，可能更有助于减少长期的酗酒问题。还讨论了纳入针对个体的预防/干预措施的意义。
