The Impact of Stay-at-Home Orders on Binge Drinking Patterns in the US

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the impact of the stay-at-home orders, especially closing and reopening bars and other drinking establishments, on binge drinking patterns in US populations in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). Method(s): Data on binge drinking and heavy binge drinking for this study was extracted from the 2018-2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Data on regulations were collected by National Academy for State Health Policy. We used two staggered differences-in-differences strategies to account for monthly variations in bar regulations. We implemented a strategy that used never treated states as controls via the Stata package CSDID and a strategy that directly imputed counterfactuals for treated states via the Stata package FECT. The outcomes were measured by the number of binge drinkers or heavy binge drinkers per 1000 population. The treatment effect was estimated while controlling for age, income level, race, chronic conditions, gender, MSA fixed effects, and month fixed effects. Stay-at-home orders were coded as 1 in the first full month of implementation and were assumed to impact the entire state equally. Bars were assumed to reopen if the indoor service has been reactivated at any capacity. Result(s): For heavy binge drinking, the average treatment effect on the treated group was 4.86 per 1000 population (p=0.027) using FECT package and 6.74 per 1000 population (p = 0.025) using CSDID package. No significant effect was found for binge drinking. Conclusion(s): We provide suggestive evidence that stay-at-home orders may have increased heavy binge drinking in metropolitan areas. We estimated this led to a 3.38% (FECT) or 4.68% (CSDID) increase in heavy binge drinking during the pandemic. Future work will assess the characteristics of areas that saw the greatest increase in heavy binge drinking, and explore why heavy binge drinkers were more vulnerable than binge drinkers during the Covid.Copyright © 2023

Binge drinking alcohol and circadian misalignment in night shift nurses is associated with decreased resiliency to COVID-19 infection

Background: Nurses and other first responders are at high risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV2 virus, and many have developed severe COVID-19 infection. A better understanding of the factors that increase the risk of infection after exposure to the virus could help to address this. Although several risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension have been associated with an increased risk of infection, many first responders develop severe COVID-19 without established risk factors. As inflammation and cytokine storm are the primary mechanisms in severe COVID-19, other factors that promote an inflammatory state could increase the risk of COVID-19 in exposed individuals. Alcohol misuse and shift work with subsequent misaligned circadian rhythms are known to promote a pro-inflammatory state and thus could increase susceptibility to COVID-19. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a prospective, cross-sectional observational survey-based study in nurses using the American Nursing Association network. Method(s): We used validated structured questionnaires to assess alcohol consumption (the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and circadian typology or chronotype (the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire Shift -MCTQ-Shift). Result(s): By latent class analysis (LCA), high-risk features of alcohol misuse were associated with a later chronotype, and binge drinking was greater in night shift workers. The night shift was associated with more than double the odds of COVID-19 infection of the standard shift (OR 2.67, 95% CI: 1.18 to 6.07). Binge drinkers had twice the odds of COVID-19 infection of those with low-risk features by LCA (OR: 2.08, 95% CI: 0.75 to 5.79). Conclusion(s): Working night shifts or binge drinking may be risk factors for COVID-19 infection among nurses. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these risk factors could help to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our at-risk healthcare workforce.Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Research Society on Alcohol.

Alcohol Misuse, Binge Drinking, and their Associations with Psychosocial Factors during COVID-19 among Harlem Residents in New York City.

This study examined alcohol misuse and binge drinking prevalence among Harlem residents, in New York City, and their associations with psycho-social factors such as substance use, depression symptom severity, and perception of community policing during COVID-19. An online cross-sectional study was conducted among 398 adult residents between April and September 2021. Participants with a score of at least 3 for females or at least 4 for males out of 12 on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test were considered to have alcohol misuse. Binge drinking was defined as self-reporting having six or more drinks on one occasion. Modified Poisson regression models were used to examine associations. Results showed that 42.7% used alcohol before COVID-19, 69.1% used it during COVID-19, with 39% initiating or increasing alcohol use during COVID-19. Alcohol misuse and binge drinking prevalence during COVID-19 were 52.3% and 57.0%, respectively. Higher severity of depression symptomatology, history of drug use and smoking cigarettes, and experiencing housing insecurity were positively associated with both alcohol misuse and binge drinking. Lower satisfaction with community policing was only associated with alcohol misuse, while no significant associations were found between employment insecurity and food insecurity with alcohol misuse or binge drinking. The findings suggest that Harlem residents may have resorted to alcohol use as a coping mechanism to deal with the impacts of depression and social stressors during COVID-19. To mitigate alcohol misuse, improving access to mental health and substance use disorder services, and addressing public safety through improving relations with police could be beneficial.

Stress and excessive alcohol consumption among insured and uninsured adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: This study examined the relationships between stress, excessive drinking, including binge and heavy drinking, and health insurance status among a regionally representative sample of adults living in Northern Larimer County, Colorado, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subject and methods: Data from 551 adults aged 18 to 64 years (62.98% aged 45 to 65 years; 73.22% female; 92.98% non-Hispanic White) were used. The sample was weighted by age and binary sex. A series of logistic regressions were applied to examine bivariate associations among stress, drinking, and health insurance status, with and without accounting for the effects of sociodemographic and health-related covariates. Stratified analyses were applied to explore differential associations of stress and drinking among individuals with different health insurance coverage. Results: A total of 23.23% of the adult sample reported binge drinking, and 16.15% reported heavy drinking; 10.53% of the sample reported both binge and heavy drinking. Individuals with higher levels of stress were more likely to report binge drinking (OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.65, 1.68) and heavy drinking (OR: 2.61; 95% CI: 2.54, 2.67), after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related covariates. Relative to individuals with private health insurance coverage, adults enrolled in Medicaid and those without health insurance coverage were more susceptible to the effect of stress on binge and heavy drinking. Conclusion: Our results highlighted a need for continuing statewide and/or national efforts in closing the insurance coverage gap and providing affordable marketplace health insurance in the hope of preventing excessive drinking due to high levels of stress during a challenging time.

Estimating Prevalence of Bereavement, Its Contribution to Risk for Binge Drinking, and Other High-Risk Health States in a State Population Survey, 2019 Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey.

BACKGROUND: Binge drinking is a pattern of alcohol abuse. Its prevalence and associated risk factors are not well documented. Heavy drinking, on the other hand, has a well-documented association with bereavement. This report uses a cross-sectional, population-based survey to estimate prevalence of bingeing and its association with new bereavement. Bingeing is defined as 4 or more drinks (women) or 5 or more drinks (men) in a 2-4-h setting. For the first time in 2019, the Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) included a bereavement item: 'Have you experienced the death of a family member or close friend in the years 2018 or 2019?' METHODS: Georgia BRFSS is a complex sampling survey administered annually. It is designed to represent the 8.1 million people aged 18 years and older in the U.S. state of Georgia. Alcohol consumption patterns are routinely measured in the common core. In 2019, the state added a new item probing for bereavement in the prior 24 months predating the COVID-19 pandemic. Imputation and weighting techniques were applied to yield the population prevalence rates of new bereavement, bingeing, and their co-occurrence with other high-risk health behaviors and outcomes. Multivariate models, adjusted for age, gender, and race, were used to estimate the risk for other unhealthy behaviors posed by the co-occurrence of bereavement and bingeing. RESULTS: In Georgia, bereavement (45.8%), and alcohol consumption (48.8%) are common. Bereavement and alcohol use co-occurred among 1,796,817 people (45% of all drinkers) with a subset of 608,282 persons reporting bereavement combined with bingeing. The most common types of bereavement were death of a friend/neighbor (30.7%) or three plus deaths (31.8%). CONCLUSIONS: While bingeing is a known risk to public health, its co-occurrence with recent bereavement is a new observation. Public health surveillance systems need to monitor this co-occurrence to protect both individual and societal health. In a time of global bereavement, documenting its influence on binge drinking can support the work towards Sustainable Development Goal #3-Good health and Well-Being.

A Potential Therapeutic Target Underling Binge Alcohol-Triggered Spontaneous Arrhythmia Onset in the Aged Heart

Background: Aging and binge alcohol abuse are both known as independent risk factors for both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. With the COVID-19 pandemic, increased social isolation has significantly increased alcohol consumption worldwide. Older adults are a high-risk drinking group and alcohol significantly enhances the risk of arrhythmia onset. Yet, how alcohol (a secondary stressor) drives spontaneous atrial and ventricular arrhythmia onset in the aged heart (a primary stressor) remains unclear. Objective(s): We recently reported the stress-response kinase c-jun N-terminal kinase 2 (JNK2) underlies alcohol-enhanced atrial arrhythmia vulnerability (pacing-induced) in healthy young hearts. Here, we reveal a critical role of JNK2 in alcohol-driven arrhythmia onset in the aged heart in vivo. Method(s): Ambulatory ECGs were recorded using wireless telemeters in binge alcohol-exposed aged (24 months) and young mice (2 months). Spontaneous premature atrial and ventricular contractions (PACs, PVCs), atrial and ventricular tachycardia (AT, VT) were quantified as previously described. The role of JNK2 in triggered arrhythmic activities was assessed using a well-evaluated JNK2-specific inhibitor and our unique cardiac-specific MKK7D and MKK7D-JNK2dn mouse models with tamoxifen inducible overexpression of constitutively active MKK7 (a JNK upstream activator) or co-expression of MKK7D and inactive dominant negative JNK2 (JNK2dn). Result(s): We found that binge alcohol exposure in aged mice (n=14) led to spontaneous PACs/PVCs (75% of the mice), and AT/VT episodes (50%) along with a 21% mortality rate. However, alcohol-exposed young (n=5) and non-alcohol-exposed aged mice (n=11) were absent of any spontaneous arrhythmic activities or premature death. Intriguingly, JNK2-specific inhibition in vivo abolished those alcohol-associated triggered activities and mortality in aged mice. The causative role of JNK2 in triggered arrhythmias and premature death was further supported by the high frequency of spontaneous PACs/PVCs and nonsustained AT/VT episodes along with a 50% mortality rate in MKK7D mice (n=10), which was strikingly alleviated in MKK7D-JNK2dn mice (n=5) with cardiac-specific JNK2 competitive inhibition. Conclusion(s): Our findings are the first to reveal that stress kinase JNK2 underlies binge alcohol-evoked atrial and ventricular arrhythmia initiation in aged mice. Modulating JNK2 could be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat and/or prevent binge drinking-evoked cardiac arrhythmias.Copyright © 2023

University students' (binge) drinking during COVID-19 lockdowns: An investigation of depression, social context, resilience, and changes in alcohol use.

RATIONALE: The first COVID-19 lockdown impacted the social life and behaviors of university students, such as alcohol use. While previous studies have reported changes in students' alcohol use during the lockdown, knowledge of risk groups like binge drinkers is limited. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate how the first lockdown impacted the alcohol use of university students who were regular binge drinkers before the lockdown. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were used to explore self-reported changes in alcohol use and associated psychosocial effects in regular binge drinking versus regular drinking university students (N = 7355) during the first COVID-19 lockdown (Spring 2020) in the Netherlands. RESULTS: University students generally drank less alcohol and reduced binge drinking behaviors during the lockdown. Being a binge drinker who increased/maintained alcohol use, or a regular drinker who increased, was associated with older age, fewer servings of alcohol per week before COVID-19, higher contact with friends, and not living with parents. Among regular binge drinkers, men increased their alcohol use during the lockdown significantly more than women. Among regular drinkers, those with high depressive symptoms and low resilience had increased alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: These findings give insight into significant changes in drinking behaviors among university students during the first COVID-19 lockdown. More importantly, it underscores the need to reckon vulnerable students considering drinking type and associated psychosocial variables for increasing or maintaining higher alcohol use during societal stress periods. In the present study, an unexpected at-risk group emerged among regular drinkers who increased alcohol use during the lockdown in association with their mental state (i.e., depression and resilience). As the COVID-19 pandemic, and the possibility of similar scenarios in the future, is still present in the current student life, specific preventive strategies and interventions should be targeted accordingly.

Assessment of Sleep Quality among Medical Students During the Covid- 19 Pandemic

Objective: To assess the sleep quality among medical students, comparing their sleep cycles during physical and online studies along with other factors associated with sleep patterns. Study Design: Cross-sectional Questionnaire based survey Place and Duration of Study: Department of Community Medicine, HITEC Institute of Medical Sciences Taxila from 1st January 2020 to 31st March 2020 Methodology: One hundred and forty seven students were surveyed in a time period of 1 month. The questionnaire included PSQI Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and other clinically validated questions. Students with known sleeping disorders were excluded from this survey. Result(s): There were 81 (55.1%) females and 65 (44.2%) males with mean age 20+/-1.4 years. Out of these 94(63.9%) were classified as "Poor Sleepers" and only 53 (36.1%) were "Good Sleepers". Poor sleep quality was associated with female gender (p<0.05), day-scholar residence status (p<0.054), excessive time required to sleep (p<0.00), excessive screen time usage (p<0.007), increased hours of study (p<0.089), experiencing trouble while driving, eating and socializing (p<0.002), lack of enthusiasm (p<0.000), unsatisfactory daily activities (p<0.000) and poor daytime alertness levels (p<0.360). 104 (70.7%) were aware of the effects of melatonin on sleep, only 51 (34.7%) admitted to have used coffee to stay awake at night. 98 (66.7%) subjects were pre-exam workers, 95 (64.6%) admitted not being able to wake up easily in the morning. Conclusion(s): The students and hostelites that used less screen time slept better. Excessive daytime tiredness was also a result of poor sleeping habits. Students who studied for longer periods of time and had difficulty waking up in the morning slept poorly. Poor sleepers also find it difficult to interact and are often unambitious about performing their daily menial tasks, as well as displeased with their daily activities. As a matter of fact, we deduce that sleep quality has unanticipated consequences for medical students' social and mental health.Copyright © 2023 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

Hazardous alcohol use, drinking motives and COVID-19-related anxiety in college students.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the associations of anxiety and drinking motives with hazardous and binge alcohol use among young adults. PARTICIPANTS: We recruited young adults (N = 182, mean age 25) between November 2020 and December 2020. METHODS: Linear regressions were used to evaluate relationships among hazardous alcohol use (US Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C [USAUDIT-C]), binge drinking (Alcohol Intake Questionnaire [AIQ]), PROMIS-Anxiety, COVID-19 related anxiety (CAS), and the drinking to cope with depression and anxiety subscales of the Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of participants reported hazardous drinking (USAUDIT-C score > 4). PROMIS Anxiety and CAS scores were 63.7 and 1.0, respectively. Scores were positively associated with drinking patterns. However, the drinking to cope with depression motive significantly mediated these associations. CONCLUSIONS: After the onset of the pandemic, hazardous and binge drinking patterns among young adults were associated with drinking to cope with depression rather than anxiety.

Longitudinal factors associated with increased alcohol consumption in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Alcohol is the most abused substance among adults in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted patterns of alcohol use, but data are conflicting, and previous studies are largely limited to cross-sectional analyses.Objective: This study aimed to longitudinally assess sociodemographic and psychological correlates of changes in three patterns of alcohol use (number of alcoholic drinks, drinking regularity, and binge drinking) during COVID-19.Methods: We studied changes in self-reported drinking behaviors in 222,195 Mayo Clinic patients over 21 years of age (58.1% female and 41.9% male) between April 1, 2019, and March 30, 2021. Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between patient characteristics and change in alcohol consumption.Results: Sociodemographically younger age, White race, having a college degree, and living in a rural area were associated with increased alcohol use regularity (all p < .05). Younger age, male, White, high-school education or less, living in a more deprived neighborhood, smoking, and living in a rural area were associated with increases in number of alcohol drinks (all p ≤ .04) and binge drinking (all p ≤ .01). Increased anxiety scores were associated with increased number of drinks, while depression severity was associated with both increased drinking regularity and increased number of drinks (all p ≤ .02) independent of sociodemographic characteristics.Conclusion: Our study showed that both sociodemographic and psychological characteristics were associated with increased alcohol consumption patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study highlights specific target groups previously not described in the literature for alcohol interventions based on sociodemographic and psychological characteristics.

Alcohol use and motives for drinking across the menstrual cycle in a psychiatric outpatient sample.

BACKGROUND: Females who misuse alcohol experience high rates of negative physical and mental health consequences. Existing findings are inconsistent but suggest a relationship between ovarian hormones and alcohol use. We aim to clarify how alcohol use and drinking motives vary across the menstrual cycle in female psychiatric outpatients using the luteinizing hormone (LH)-confirmed cycle phase. METHODS: Daily self-reports (n = 3721) were collected from 94 naturally cycling females, recruited for past-month suicidal ideation, during the baseline phase of three parent clinical trials between February 2017 and May 2022. Multilevel logistic and linear models estimated the relationship between the cycle phase (with LH-surge confirmed ovulation) and daily alcohol use or drinking motives, moderated by the weekend. Models were adjusted for age, legal drinking status, substance use disorder, and the COVID-19 pandemic, and included random effects. RESULTS: Participants were generally more likely to drink in the midluteal (vs. perimenstrual) phase, but more likely to drink heavily on weekends in periovulatory and perimenstrual (vs. midluteal) phases. Social motives for drinking were significantly higher on weekends in the periovulatory, mid-follicular, and midluteal phases (vs. weekdays), but this finding was non-significant in the perimenstrual phase. Participants rated drinking to cope higher in the perimenstrual phase (vs. midluteal phase), regardless of the weekend. CONCLUSION: In a psychiatric sample with LH-surge-confirmed ovulation, we find an increased likelihood to drink heavily in periovulatory and perimenstrual phases on weekends. We also find that the perimenstrual phase is associated with increased drinking to cope, and relatively lower weekend social drinking. Finally, random effects across models suggest individual differences in the extent to which the cycle influences drinking. Our findings stress (1) predictable phases of increased high-risk alcohol use across the menstrual cycle, and (2) the importance of individual assessment of cyclical changes in alcohol use to predict and prevent ovulation- and menses-related surges in heavy drinking.

Adolescent brain maturation and the neuropathological effects of binge drinking: A critical review.

Adolescence is a transitional stage marked by continued brain development. This period is accompanied by physical and neurochemical modifications in the shape and function of the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and other limbic system structures. Brain maturation during adolescence, which is typically governed by intrinsic factors, can be dramatically altered by environmental influences such as drugs and alcohol. Unlike many other addictive substances, binge drinking is very common and normative among teenagers and young adults. This repeated pattern of excessive alcohol consumption in adolescents has been shown to cause behavioral changes and neurocognitive impairments that include increased anxiety, risky decision-making, and learning deficits, which could lead to the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD). This manuscript highlights factors that lead to adolescent binge drinking, discusses maturational changes that occur in an adolescent's brain, and then evaluates the effect of adolescent alcohol consumption on brain structure, function, and neurocognitive abilities in both human studies and animal models. The impact of gender/sex and COVID-19 are briefly discussed. Understanding the factors that promote the onset of adolescent binge drinking and its undesirable consequences could serve as a catalyst for developing therapeutic agents that would decrease or eradicate the damaging effects of alcohol on an adolescent brain.

Violence against Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico.

This study measured the prevalence of cases of domestic violence against women and some associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. Data were collected through a remote survey during 2020. The sample included 47,819 women aged 15 years and older. Jointpoint regression and logistic regression models were used. The prevalence of violence was 11.5%, which decreased in July and subsequently increased. The associated factors were being unemployed (OR = 2.01; 95%CI 1.89-2.16); being partially and totally quarantined (OR = 1.58; 95%CI 1.43-1.75 and OR = 1.47; 95%CI 1.32-1.63); being a caregiver of children; being a caregiver of elderly and/or suffering from a chronic illness (OR = 1.27; 95%CI 1.19-1.36; OR = 1.42; 95%CI 1.33-1.53; OR = 1.59; 95%CI 1.47-1.73); losing a family member to COVID-19 (OR = 1.26; 95%CI 1.13-1.41); and binge drinking (OR = 1.94; 95%CI 1.78-2.12). The confinement measures increased gender inequalities, economic problems and workload which further evidenced violence against women.

Change in University Student Health Behaviours after the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many disruptions in the lives of the population. In particular, the health behaviours of university students were impacted. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the evolution of these behaviours from before the COVID-19 period to May 2021, during which lockdowns or curfews were in effect. METHODS: Two retrospective online cross-sectional studies were conducted among university students in Normandy in May 2020 and May 2021. Socio-demographics and academic characteristics were collected. Tobacco smoking, binge drinking, cannabis use, and moderate and vigorous physical activity were collected for the 4 weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown in May 2020 and in May 2021. RESULTS: Overall, 6991 university students were included in the study (3483 in 2020 and 3508 in 2021) with a mean age of 20.8 (standard deviation = 2.5) and 73.4% of women. After logistic regression, binge drinking (occasional and regular), cannabis use (occasional), moderate physical activity (regular), and vigorous physical activity (occasional) decreased in 2020 and 2021 compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. Tobacco smoking (occasional) and vigorous physical activity (regular) decreased only in 2020. Regular tobacco and cannabis use did not change significantly in 2020 and 2021 compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. DISCUSSION: Student health behaviours changed in May 2020 and May 2021 due to the implementation of measures restricting mobility and social interaction. Even if some risky consumption decreased in 2020 after the first lockdown, there was no rebound phenomenon in 2021: consumption either remained lower or similar to the pre-COVID-19 period. These behaviours need to be monitored in the future to assess the long-term effects of these restrictions on student health behaviours.

Drinking during social isolation: investigating associations between stress, inhibitory control, boredom, drinking motives, and alcohol use

Background: We aimed to assess whether stress, boredom, drinking motives, and/or inhibitory control were related to alcohol use during a period of social isolation. Method: Analyses were carried out on questionnaire data (N = 337) collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (7 April–3 May 2020). We first assessed changes in drinking behavior, stress and boredom. We then regressed drinking behavior on drinking motives, inhibitory control, stress, and boredom. We also investigated interactions between change in stress/boredom and inhibitory control. Results: A minority of respondents reported increased alcohol use (units = 23.52%, drinking days = 20.73%, heavy days = 7.06%), alcohol-related problems (9.67%), and stress (36.63%). Meanwhile, most respondents reported increased boredom (67.42%). Similarly, boredom significantly increased (B = 21.22, p <.001), on average, while alcohol-related problems decreased (B = −1.43 p <.001). Regarding drinking motives, decreased alcohol-related problems were associated with social drinking motives (B = −0.09, p =.005). Surprisingly, risk-taking was associated with decreased alcohol-related problems (B = −0.02, p =.008) and neither stress nor boredom independently predicted changes in alcohol use. Finally, several significant interactions suggested that those who were more impulsive and less bored were more likely to report increased alcohol use and vice versa. Conclusions: These data provide a nuanced overview of changes in drinking-related behavior during the COVID-19-induced period of social isolation. While most people reduced their drinking, there was evidence of complex interactions between impulsivity and boredom that may be explored in future studies.

Longitudinal and self-attributed change in alcohol use among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a unique concern regarding the potential for pandemic-related increases in alcohol use. However, most studies which have measured pandemic-related changes to date utilise self-attribution measures of changes in alcohol use using cross-sectional designs, which rely on accurate self-attributions for validity. There has been minimal investigation of correspondence of self-attributed and longitudinally measured changes in alcohol use during the pandemic. The current study seeks to examine this correspondence. METHODS: A total of 856 participants originally recruited from Australian secondary schools completed follow-up surveys of an ongoing study at two timepoints (2018-2019, mean age 18.6 and 2020-2021, mean age 19.9; 65.3% female). Alcohol use was measured as any drinking (1+ drinks) and binge drinking (5+ drinks) frequency in the past 6 months. The correspondence and relationship between 'longitudinal change' measured from the first to the second timepoint and 'self-attributed change' measured at the second timepoint were examined. RESULTS: For both any drinking and binge drinking frequency, moderate correspondence was observed between self-attributed and longitudinal change in drinking (37.1% and 39.3%). Most participants with longitudinal increases in any drinking or binge drinking frequency failed to correctly self-attribute this increase. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that self-attributed increases do not correspond well with longitudinally measured increases in pandemic-related drinking and may underestimate increases measured longitudinally. Method of measurement needs to be taken into account if data are to be used to identify sub-groups at risk of alcohol use increases and facilitate appropriate direction of public health efforts.

Changes in alcohol consumption in the Russian Federation during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Excessive alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for various mental health disorders and can exacerbate the already high burden of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic itself can adversely affect alcohol consumption and thus contribute to alcohol-related problems, including mental health problems. Objective(s): This study was aimed to assess changes in alcohol consumption that may have occurred as a result of the COVID- 19pandemic and determine associated factors among population of Russian Federation. Method(s): By distributing a link to take part in an anonymous online survey, changes in volume and frequency of alcohol use, and frequency of heavy episodic drinking(6 or more servings of alcohol at a time)in the first months of COVID-19pandemic were assessed. 819respondents from Russia:321 men and 498women, submitted their responses during May-July,2020. Associations between changes in alcohol use were assessed in a univariate analysis with socio-demographic factors, alcohol use over the previous 12months, stress, individual perceptions of changes in daily and social life and other negative consequences of pandemic. The statistical significance of associations was assessed using the Pearson'schi2 test. Result(s): Individuals with initially higher alcohol consumption increased their alcohol use, while those who drank less, decreased alcohol use even more during pandemic (p<0.05). Severe restrictions of social/everyday life were associated with more frequent alcohol use and in larger volumes (p<0.001). Negative professional/ financial consequences of pandemic and stress were associated with increase of typical drinking volume (p<0.001), more frequent alcohol use (p<0.001)and heavy episodic drinking (p<0.05). Conclusion(s): The COVID-19 pandemic could have increased health inequalities in Russia through changes in alcohol consumption.

Factors associated with an increase in alcohol consumption among users of online social networks in Russia in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The various restrictions and physical distancing introduced inRussia in early months of COVID-19pandemic could have a particular impact on people who use alcohol and create new needs for prevention and treatment of associated disorders. Objective(s): The study was aimed at assessing changes in alcohol consumption among users of online social networks in Russia. Method(s): During June-September 2020,1518 adult users (18+) of the most popular social networks in Russia (Odnoklassniki, VKontakte,Facebook, Twitter), completed an anonymous online survey regarding alcohol use changes in the first months of COVID-19 pandemic. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate associations of increased alcohol consumption with sociodemographic and pandemic-related factors. Result(s): 35.4%of men and 25.6%of women increased their frequency of drinking;24.9%of men and 17.7%of women increased their typical one-time volume of alcohol consumption,and 28.5% of men and 27.9% of women increased frequency of heavy episodic drinking in the early months of pandemic. After mutual adjustment of independent variables,age18-29 years(OR=1.710;95%CI 1.002- 2.917), very strong restrictions of everyday life(3.127;1.011-9.675) and severe negative consequences in relation to professional or financial situation due to spread ofSARS-CoV-2 (2.247;1.131- 4.465) were positively associated with increase in frequency of drinking. The odds of increase in frequency of heavy episodic drinking were more than twice higher(2.329;1.001-5.428) among those who experienced severe negative consequences to their professional/financial situation.Higher typical frequency,larger onetime volume of alcohol use,and higher frequency of heavy episodic drinking before pandemic were positively associated with increase of alcohol consumption in early months of pandemic. Conclusion(s): Timely monitoring of changes in alcohol consumption during pandemic can allow prevention of alcohol-related disorders, including mental disorders, among users of online social networks.

Changes in Use of Tobacco and Alcohol During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The survey assessed changes in tobacco, alcohol and other substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective(s): The survey was carried out in Moscow and Nizhegorodskaya Oblast in December, 2020 - February, 2021 and included 650 medical organizations' employees and 344 individuals with harmful alcohol or other substances use. Method(s): The instrument included ASSIST, Kessler-10 and IES-R tests modified for self-reporting about different pandemic periods. Result(s): Among medical workers 36.8% smoked last 12 months;during the COVID-19 pandemic 13% maintained usual cigarette smoking level, 2.4% increased smoking during incidence rises. 71.2% drank alcohol last 12 months;during incidence rises 20.4% drank as usual, 15.0% drank less frequently;2.4% increased frequency of drinking, 1.8% volumes on drinking days, 1.3% frequency of heavy episodic drinking. In harmful substance use group 61.9% smoked last 12 months;during COVID-19 incidence rises 40% kept their usual level of smoking;13.4% increased their smoking during the first and 8.7% during the second 'wave' of the pandemic. 90.1% drank alcohol last 12 months;during incidence rises 49% kept drinking as usual, 20% reduced drinking and 17.3% increased drinking frequency, 21.0% volumes on drinking days, 16.4% heavy episodic drinking frequency. Wastewater-based epidemiology analysis performed in Moscow Oblast location demonstrated significant increase during COVID-19 pandemic, compared to same period 2 years earlier: inhaled nicotine use by average of 40%, ethanol consumption by average of 49%. Conclusion(s): Changes in cigarette smoking and alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic had significant variation. Increases were more likely to occur during the pandemic 'waves' among individual from harmful users' group.

The intersection of internalizing symptoms and alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective cohort study.

Given the well-established relationship between alcohol and internalizing symptoms, potential increases in depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to increases in alcohol consumption and binge drinking. This study examines this association from before to during two phases of the pandemic in a cohort of Canadian youth. We used linked data from a sub-sample of 1901 secondary school students who participated in three consecutive school years of the Cannabis use, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol use, Smoking, and Sedentary behaviour (COMPASS) study between 2018/19 and 2020/21. Separate multilevel logistic regression models examined the association between depression and anxiety symptoms with odds of escalation and reduction (vs. maintenance) and initiation (vs. abstinence) of alcohol consumption. Results show that depression and anxiety symptoms significantly increased over the three years, and these changes were moderated by changes in alcohol consumption and binge drinking. Students with increased depression symptoms were less likely to reduce their alcohol consumption in the early pandemic (Adjust odds ratio [AOR] 0.94, 95% CI:0.90-0.98), more likely to initiate alcohol consumption in the ongoing pandemic period (AOR 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05), and more likely to initiate binge drinking in both periods. The depression-alcohol use association was stronger among females than males. This study demonstrates a modest association between internalizing symptoms and alcohol use, particularly for depression symptoms and in females. The identified depression-alcohol use association suggests that preventing or treating depression might be beneficial for adolescent alcohol use and vice versa.