Dataset Information

Gender, employment, and continuous pandemic as predictors of alcohol and drug consumption during the COVID-19.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

This study aims to assess the impacts of the continuous pandemic state, gender and employment status on changes in substance use during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods

A sample of 828 Israelis participated in an online survey and answered questions on demographic characteristics, ranking their substance consumption, and perceived increase in alcohol/drug consumption. The age range was 18-65 (Mean = 30.10, S.D. = 11.99), and the majority (72.9 %) were female. We gathered the data in two waves: 1) during and following the early first lockdown; 2) following the second lockdown.

Results

Men reported higher beer, hard liquor, and illegal drug consumption than women. Continuous COVID-19 was associated with higher consumption of all alcohol, and cannabis, and higher perceived increases in substance consumption than short-term COVID-19. Significant interactions were found between gender and employment regarding all-drug consumption measurements and interactions between gender, employment, and pandemic duration (short/continuous) were found regarding cannabis consumption.

Conclusions

The discussion addresses the results in the context of continuous COVID-19 and traditional gender roles. Policymakers should develop prevention and harm reduction interventions for substance use and abuse, focusing on unemployed men as an at-risk group.

SUBMITTER: Levy I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8411591 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Gender, employment, and continuous pandemic as predictors of alcohol and drug consumption during the COVID-19.

Levy Inna I Cohen-Louck Keren K Bonny-Noach Hagit H

Drug and alcohol dependence 20210902

<h4>Aims</h4>This study aims to assess the impacts of the continuous pandemic state, gender and employment status on changes in substance use during the COVID-19 outbreak.<h4>Methods</h4>A sample of 828 Israelis participated in an online survey and answered questions on demographic characteristics, ranking their substance consumption, and perceived increase in alcohol/drug consumption. The age range was 18-65 (Mean = 30.10, S.D. = 11.99), and the majority (72.9 %) were female. We gathered the da ...[more]

PMID: 34500243

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Project description:Background Previous investigations suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic effects on alcohol consumption were heterogenous and may vary as a function of structural and psychological factors. Research examining mediating or moderating factors implicated in pandemic-occasioned changes in drinking have also tended to use single-study cross-sectional designs and convenience samples.AimsFirst, to explore structural (changed employment or unemployment) and psychological (subjective mental health and drinking motives) correlates of consumption reported during the COVID-19 pandemic using a UK nationally representative (quota sampled) dataset. Second, to determine whether population-level differences in drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic (versus pre-pandemic levels) could be attributable to drinking motives.MethodData collected from samples of UK adults before and during the pandemic were obtained and analysed: Step1 carried out structural equation modelling (SEM) to explore data gathered during a period of social restrictions after the UK's first COVID-19-related lockdown (27 August-15 September, 2020; n = 3,798). It assessed whether drinking motives (enhancement, social, conformity, coping), employment and the perceived impact of the pandemic on subjective mental health may explain between-person differences in self-reported alcohol consumption. Step 2 multigroup SEM evaluated data gathered pre-pandemic (2018; n = 7,902) in concert with the pandemic data from step 1, to test the theory that population-level differences in alcohol consumption are attributable to variances in drinking motives.ResultsAnalyses of the 2020 dataset detected both direct and indirect effects of subjective mental health, drinking motives, and employment matters (e.g., having been furloughed) on alcohol use. Findings from a multigroup SEM were consistent with the theory that drinking motives explain not only individual differences in alcohol use at both time points, but also population-level increases in use during the pandemic.ConclusionThis work highlights socioeconomic and employment considerations when seeking to understand COVID-19-related drinking. It also indicates that drinking motives may be particularly important in explaining the apparent trend of heightened drinking during the pandemic. Limitations related to causal inference are discussed.

Project description:Background: The COVID-19 pandemic may lead to negative mental health effects but the effect on alcohol consumption among younger adults is unclear. We assess predictors of change in alcohol consumption during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic among younger adults. Methods: This cross-sectional internet-based survey was part of an overarching project, the Corona Drug Survey, which was conducted from April 30 to August 4, 2020. Participants of any sex and ≥18 years old were included. The primary outcome measure was change in alcohol consumption during the early COVID-19 pandemic. We implemented an ordinal logistic regression to assess the effect (odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence interval [CI]) of the following predictors: quarantine restrictions on leaving the residence, number of individuals in the household, problematic alcohol consumption before the pandemic (CAGE [cutting down, annoyance by criticism, guilty feeling, and eye-opener] score), personal concern regarding the pandemic, age, and sex. Results: 3,321 participants with a mean age of 32 (SD: 13) years were included in this study. 70.4% of participants reported less or unchanged alcohol consumption in the recent 4 weeks of the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. A higher number of individuals in the household was associated with a reduced alcohol consumption (OR = 0.869; 95% CI = 0.815-0.927). No quarantine restrictions on leaving the residence (OR = 1.593; 95% CI = 1.397-1.817), a higher age (1.006; 1.001-1.011), and female sex (compared to males: 1.206; 1.062-1.371) were associated with an increase in alcohol consumption. The CAGE score before the pandemic (OR = 0.983; 95% CI = 0.931-1.037) and the pandemic concern (0.927; 0.857-1.003) were not associated with a significant change in alcohol consumption. Celebrations were no longer frequent drinking occasions during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. The majority of participants (60.9%) did not use alcohol drinking as a coping mechanism to mitigate negative effects of the pandemic. Interpretation: In this cohort of younger adults with fewer celebratory drinking occasions, restrictions on leaving the residence and the number of persons in the household were the strongest predictors of reduced alcohol consumption during the early phase of the pandemic.

Dataset Information

Gender, employment, and continuous pandemic as predictors of alcohol and drug consumption during the COVID-19.

Aims

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Gender, employment, and continuous pandemic as predictors of alcohol and drug consumption during the COVID-19.

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