Alcohol dependence during COVID-19 lockdowns

Killgore, William D. S.; Cloonan, Sara; Taylor, Emily C.; Lucas, Daniel A.; Dailey, Natalie S.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113676

Cited by 116 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…A study in the US with 5,931 participants recruited via an online crowdsourcing platform (45) showed notable increase in harmful alcohol use (AUDIT-C score ≥8) among those under lockdown over the 6 months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was essentially unchanged for those not under restrictions (46). Noticeably, an online survey of 1,982 participants in the US reported that the duration spent at home during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with odds of binge drinking (21), defined as having more than five (man) or four (woman) drinks on one occasion (47).…”

Section: Problematic Alcohol Consumption During the Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Problematic Use of Alcohol and Online Gaming as Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mini Review

Park

Kang

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has dramatically changed our daily lives and activities, including those originally intended to serve for leisure and pleasure. Drinking and online gaming became coping behaviors used to rescue ourselves from the stress and restricted lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, frequent drinking and gaming can result in the pathological consequences of addiction. Those affected use the stimuli not to obtain pleasure, but rather to avoid the displeasure induced by stress and previous use, often unsuccessfully. This review aims to provide an overview of recent longitudinal cohort studies on alcohol and gaming use during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to analyze how the pandemic has affected alcohol and gaming use. There was a substantial risk of alcohol and online gaming overuse during the lockdown, which may depend on the pandemic's duration or overuse patterns. Previous studies have shown that increased alcohol consumption and online gaming are associated with heightened stress and anxiety levels caused by social isolation/quarantine. Over time, frequent or excessive alcohol consumption and gaming could lead to an increased risk of more serious mental health problems. Every effort should be made to mitigate mental health problems and ensure adequate adaptation to these exceptional circumstances. Therefore, it would be helpful to encourage physical activity, social interaction, and collaboration to facilitate psychological and physical health.

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Section: Problematic Alcohol Consumption During the Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Problematic Use of Alcohol and Online Gaming as Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mini Review

Park

Kang

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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“… Not reported Good Jacob et al (2021) Physical distancing related to COVID-19 pandemic Self-reported change in alcohol use behavior 17% increased alcohol use. Not reported Not reported Poor Killgore et al (2021) Stay-at-home orders related to COVID-19 pandemic AUDIT-C Higher levels of hazardous alcohol use among people in areas with lockdowns. AUDIT scores increased month-by-month for those under lockdown.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Twenty studies reported a change in frequency, amount, or severity of alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic use ( Alpers et al, 2021 , Ammar et al, 2020 , Barbosa et al, 2021 , Błaszczyk-Bębenek et al, 2020 , Boschuetz et al, 2020 , Callinan et al, 2021 , Callinan et al, 2021 , Đogaš et al, 2020 , Huckle et al, 2020 , Jackson et al, 2021 , Newby et al, 2020 , Niedzwiedz et al, 2021 , Oksanen et al, 2021 , Rolland et al, 2020 , Sallie et al, 2020 , Vanderbruggen et al, 2020 , Villanueva et al, 2021 , Wardell et al, 2020 , Weerakoon et al, 2020 , Winkler et al, 2020 ), two studies compared alcohol use at two or more time points during the pandemic ( Killgore et al, 2021 , Pollard et al, 2020 ), and one study compared the severity of alcohol use in Hubei province, the epicenter of COVID-19, compared with respondents from other provinces in China ( Ahmed et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The early impact of COVID-19 on the incidence, prevalence, and severity of alcohol use and other drugs: A systematic review

Schmidt

Genois

Jin

et al. 2021

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

110

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Background The aim of this paper was to examine the early impact of COVID-19 on substance use to assess implications for planning substance use treatment and support systems. Method A systematic review of literature published up to March 2021 was conducted to summarize changes in prevalence, incidence, and severity of substance use associated with COVID-19 and the accompanying public health measures, including lockdown, stay-at-home orders, and social distancing. Results We identified 53 papers describing changes to substance use at the population level. The majority of papers described changes related to alcohol use and most relied on self-reported measures of consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with pre-pandemic use. There was less evidence to support changes in non-alcohol substance use. In general, risky pre-pandemic alcohol use, caregiving responsibilities, stress, depression, anxiety, and current treatment for a mental disorder were found to be associated with increased substance use. Conclusion This review provides preliminary data on changes in substance use, indicating that certain segments of the population increased their alcohol use early on in the COVID-19 pandemic and may be at greater risk of harm and in need of additional services. There is a need for additional population-level information on substance use to inform evidence-based rapid responses from a treatment system perspective.

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“…On the other hand, consistent with prior research, protective factors included spending more days per week outside in the sunlight, perceiving enough social and emotional support to get through the crisis, and older age. The contributory role of each of these factors is not surprising and all have been supported by considerable research (13,(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43). In particular, numerous studies suggest that younger age groups have exhibited greater mental health problems as a result of the pandemic (40)(41)(42)(43).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Further, suicidal ideation was predicted by greater alcohol intake in combination with financial worries. This is particularly concerning, as recent evidence suggests that alcohol purchases, consumption, and dependence behaviors increased dramatically for those under lockdown during the first 6-months of the pandemic (39,48,49). For those at risk of suicidal ideation, alcohol intake should be minimized/avoided (5).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health During the First Weeks of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

et al. 2021

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Background: By March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 crisis as a worldwide pandemic and many local governments instituted stay-at-home orders and closed non-essential businesses. Within the United States, tens of millions of workers lost their jobs and financial security during the first few weeks of the national response, in an attempt to slow the global pandemic. Because of the enormity of the pandemic and its potential impact on mental health, the objective of the present study was to document the prevalence of mental health problems and their association with pandemic-related job loss during the third week of the nationwide shutdown.Methods: Mental health was assessed via online questionnaires among a representative sample of 1,013 U.S. adults on April 9–10, 2020. Rates of clinically significant mental health outcomes were compared between participants who lost their job as a result of COVID-19 restrictions (17.4%) vs. those who did not (82.6%). Bivariate multiple logistic regression identified factors that were predictive of, and protective against, mental health problems.Results: The prevalence of clinically significant symptoms was significantly higher than prior population estimates, ranging from 27 to 32% for depression, 30 to 46% for anxiety disorders, 15 to 18% for acute/post-traumatic stress, 25% for insomnia, and 18% for suicidal ideation. Prevalence estimates were 1.5–1.7 times higher for those who reported job loss due to COVID-19 restrictions than those who did not. Mental health problems were predicted by worry over financial instability, insomnia, social isolation, and alcohol consumption, while getting outside more often, perceived social support, and older age were protective against these problems.Conclusions: During the first 3 weeks of lockdowns/stay-at-home restrictions, mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and acute stress reactions were notably elevated relative to prior population estimates. Job loss related to the nationwide shutdown was particularly associated with poorer mental health. These findings provide a baseline of mental health functioning during the first weeks of the national emergency and lockdown orders in response to COVID-19.

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Alcohol dependence during COVID-19 lockdowns

Cited by 116 publications

References 12 publications

Problematic Use of Alcohol and Online Gaming as Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mini Review

Problematic Use of Alcohol and Online Gaming as Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mini Review

The early impact of COVID-19 on the incidence, prevalence, and severity of alcohol use and other drugs: A systematic review

Mental Health During the First Weeks of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

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