As the Pandemic Became Chronic, Loneliness and Depression Rather than Circumstances Drove Problem Drinking, Study Suggests

Newswise — Worsening alcohol-related problems over the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with internal factors, such as loneliness and depression, more than household circumstances or income loss, a new study suggests. Studies of alcohol consumption during the pandemic have found varying impacts. The research has been limited, however, by its focus on alcohol consumption at certain points in time rather than variability in drinking and alcohol-related problems over the course of the pandemic. For the study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, Canadian investigators examined individuals’ drinking the first nine months of the pandemic to see if meaningful subgroups emerged. They also examined how shifting alcohol use related to depression, social disconnection, living alone, parenting a child, and income loss, among other potential influences.

Researchers worked with 364 Canadian adults who used alcohol, recruited via an online crowdsourcing platform. The participants were mostly white, and non-students, with above-average income. The investigators first collected data within a month of Canada’s state-of-emergency (April 2020), recording participants’ pre-pandemic drinking, then in three more waves three months apart. The participants filled out surveys assessing their alcohol use, alcohol problems (e.g., “I have been unhappy because of my drinking”), hazardous drinking (e.g., six or more drinks on one occasion), motivation for drinking (specifically, drinking to cope), depressive symptoms, social connectedness, solitary drinking, and sociodemographic factors. They also estimated how many drinks they would buy at various prices, a measure of “alcohol demand”. The researchers used statistical analysis to organize participants into three groups: stable or low-risk drinkers, drinkers who increased their alcohol use, and drinkers who decreased. They used statistical analysis to examine changes in alcohol consumption and associations with certain risk factors.

Eighty-six percent of participants maintained stable alcohol use through the nine months, while 6% experienced increased drinking and alcohol problems, and 8% experienced decreased drinking and alcohol problems. Individuals in the increasing group were more likely to report reduced social connectedness, worsening depression, and drinking to cope, compared to the other two groups. In contrast, the decreasing group reported initial increases in drinking followed by steep declines in alcohol problems, perhaps reflecting a shift toward alternative coping mechanisms. The more relevant stressors associated with problematic alcohol use over time were internal (loneliness and depression). External risk factors (living alone, loss of income, and parenting), flagged in previous research, may have become less relevant as the pandemic became chronic. Those in the increasing group had initially reported more frequent pre-pandemic drinking and willingness to spend more on alcohol, and had higher scores linked to alcohol use disorder risk, compared to other participants.

The findings add to evidence that as the pandemic continued, some people struggling with stress increased their drinking and became more vulnerable to alcohol-related problems — outcomes with long-term health implications for individuals and society. The researchers recommend that future studies further assess risk factors, potentially informing treatment options. The study findings may not apply equally across the broader population.

A longitudinal approach to understanding risk factors for problem alcohgol use during the COVID-19 pandemic. N. Baptist-Mohseni, V. Morris, L. Vedelago, T. Kempe, K. Rapinda, E. Mesmer, E. Bilevicius, J. Wardell, J. MacKillop, M. Keough. (p xxx)

ACER-21-4995.R4