ABSTRACT
Alcohol use and depression are common among college students and often co-occur. When comorbid, the consequences of alcohol use and depression in college students are more severe than those associated with either difficulty on its own. Hopelessness and the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to both depression and alcohol use in college students. However, there is limited research on whether greater hopelessness or the COVID-19 pandemic strengthen the relationship between alcohol use and depressive symptom severity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether hopelessness or participation during the COVID-19 pandemic were moderators of the relationship between alcohol use and depressive symptom severity in this sample. Survey data was collected from 378 emerging adult college students at a diverse public university. The constructs of alcohol use, depressive symptom severity, and hopelessness were measured using self-report measures. The date of participation was used to gauge participation prior to or during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moderation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Findings showed that neither hopelessness nor participating during the COVID-19 pandemic were moderators of the relationship between alcohol use and depressive symptom severity in college students. Alcohol use and hopelessness were both associated with depressive symptom severity in emerging adult college students. These findings extend prior research on alcohol use and depression in college students and indicate a further need to examine potential factors that influence the relationship between the two. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Alcohol use and depression are common among college students and often co-occur. When comorbid, the consequences of alcohol use and depression in college students are more severe than those associated with either difficulty on its own. Hopelessness and the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to both depression and alcohol use in college students. However, there is limited research on whether greater hopelessness or the COVID-19 pandemic strengthen the relationship between alcohol use and depressive symptom severity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether hopelessness or participation during the COVID-19 pandemic were moderators of the relationship between alcohol use and depressive symptom severity in this sample. Survey data was collected from 378 emerging adult college students at a diverse public university. The constructs of alcohol use, depressive symptom severity, and hopelessness were measured using self-report measures. The date of participation was used to gauge participation prior to or during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moderation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Findings showed that neither hopelessness nor participating during the COVID-19 pandemic were moderators of the relationship between alcohol use and depressive symptom severity in college students. Alcohol use and hopelessness were both associated with depressive symptom severity in emerging adult college students. These findings extend prior research on alcohol use and depression in college students and indicate a further need to examine potential factors that influence the relationship between the two. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)