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Testing both affordability-availability and psychological-coping mechanisms underlying changes in alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McBride, Orla; Bunting, Eimhear; Harkin, Oisín; Butter, Sarah; Shevlin, Mark; Murphy, Jamie; Mason, Liam; Hartman, Todd K; McKay, Ryan; Hyland, Philip; Levita, Liat; Bennett, Kate M; Stocks, Thomas V A; Gibson-Miller, Jilly; Martinez, Anton P; Vallières, Frédérique; Bentall, Richard P.
  • McBride O; Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
  • Bunting E; Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
  • Harkin O; Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
  • Butter S; Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
  • Shevlin M; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
  • Murphy J; Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
  • Mason L; Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
  • Hartman TK; University College London, London, England.
  • McKay R; University of Manchester, Manchester, England.
  • Hyland P; Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, England.
  • Levita L; Maynooth University, Maynooth, Republic of Ireland.
  • Bennett KM; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
  • Stocks TVA; University of Liverpool, Liverpool, England.
  • Gibson-Miller J; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
  • Martinez AP; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
  • Vallières F; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
  • Bentall RP; Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
PLoS One ; 17(3): e0265145, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1759950
ABSTRACT
Two theoretical perspectives have been proffered to explain changes in alcohol use during the pandemic the 'affordability-availability' mechanism (i.e., drinking decreases due to changes in physical availability and/or reduced disposable income) and the 'psychological-coping' mechanism (i.e., drinking increases as adults attempt to cope with pandemic-related distress). We tested these alternative perspectives via longitudinal analyses of the COVID-19 Psychological Consortium (C19PRC) Study data (spanning three timepoints during March to July 2020). Respondents provided data on psychological measures (e.g., anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, paranoia, extraversion, neuroticism, death anxiety, COVID-19 anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, resilience), changes in socio-economic circumstances (e.g., income loss, reduced working hours), drinking motives, solitary drinking, and 'at-risk' drinking (assessed using a modified version of the AUDIT-C). Structural equation modelling was used to determine (i) whether 'at-risk' drinking during the pandemic differed from that recalled before the pandemic, (ii) dimensions of drinking motives and the psychosocial correlates of these dimensions, (iii) if increased alcohol consumption was predicted by drinking motives, solitary drinking, and socio-economic changes. The proportion of adults who recalled engaging in 'at-risk' drinking decreased significantly from 35.9% pre-pandemic to 32.0% during the pandemic. Drinking to cope was uniquely predicted by experiences of anxiety and/or depression and low resilience levels. Income loss or reduced working hours were not associated with coping, social enhancement, or conformity drinking motives, nor changes in drinking during lockdown. In the earliest stage of the pandemic, psychological-coping mechanisms may have been a stronger driver to changes in adults' alcohol use than 'affordability-availability' alone.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research Limits: Adult / Humans Language: English Journal: PLoS One Journal subject: Science / Medicine Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study / Prognostic study / Qualitative research Limits: Adult / Humans Language: English Journal: PLoS One Journal subject: Science / Medicine Year: 2022 Document Type: Article