Elsevier

Preventive Medicine

Volume 145, April 2021, 106422
Preventive Medicine

Increased alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic: The effect of mental health and age in a cross-sectional sample of social media users in the U.S.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106422Get rights and content

Highlights

  • 29% of respondents increased alcohol use. Those with depressive symptoms had 64% greater odds of increased alcohol use.

  • Age moderated the association of mental health and alcohol use.

  • Younger respondents had the highest probability of reporting increased alcohol use regardless of mental health status.

  • The probability of older persons reporting increased drinking was much greater among those with poor mental health.

  • Findings warrant age-differentiated public health messaging on alcohol use risks for older adults with poor mental health.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a public health crisis of unprecedented scale. Increased alcohol use has been extensively documented during other crises, particularly among persons with anxiety and depression. Despite COVID-19's differential impact by age, the association of age, mental health and alcohol use during the pandemic has not been explored. This study aimed to examine whether age modified the association of anxiety and depressive symptoms with alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two online surveys were administered to U.S. adult social media users in March and April 2020. Generalized linear models were conducted in 2020 among 5850 respondents (52.9% female; 22.0% aged 18–39 years, 47.0% aged 40–59 years, and 31.0% aged ≥60 years) to examine if age modified the association of anxiety and depression symptomatology and alcohol use. Overall, 29% of respondents reported increased alcohol use. Adjusted odds ratios of reporting increased alcohol use were 1.41 (95% CI = 1.20–1.66) among respondents with anxiety symptoms and 1.64 (95% CI = 1.21–2.23) among those with depressive symptoms compared to those without such symptoms. Whereas respondents aged 18–39 years had the highest probability of reporting increased alcohol use, the probability of older persons (40–59 and ≥60 years) reporting increased drinking was much greater among those with symptoms of anxiety and depression, compared to those without symptoms. These findings warrant age-differentiated public health messaging on the risks of excessive alcohol use and scale-up of substance use services for middle-aged and older adults with symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Keywords

Alcohol use
COVID-19
Anxiety
Depression
Age

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