COVID-19 Related Stressors, Parent–Child Relationship, and Alcohol Use and Mental Health Profiles Among White and Hispanic/Latinx First-Year College Students

Abstract

Transitioning to college during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may increase risk for alcohol use and mental health problems. We examined how COVID-19 related stressors and parent-child relationships are independently and interactively associated with alcohol use and mental health profiles in a sample of first-year college students (N = 425, 34.8% Hispanic/Latinx; 74.9% female) who completed an online survey in October 2020. Latent profile analysis identified four profiles: well-adjusted (53.2%), mental health problems only (21.6%), alcohol use only (17.4%), and comorbid (7.8%). COVID-19 related stressful events increased risk of being in the alcohol use only and comorbid profiles, whereas COVID-19 related worries increased risk of being in the mental health problems only profile. Parent-child relationship quality lowered risk of being in the mental health problems only and the comorbid profiles. In addition, parent-child relationship quality moderated the role of COVID-19 related worries such that COVID-19 related worries were associated with lower odds of being in the comorbid profile when parent-child relationship quality was high but not when parent-child relationship quality was low. Strengthening parent-child relationship quality appears important for promoting college students' well-being.

Comparison of alcohol consumption in university students before and during the initial months of the pandemic

“…Although the present study did not detect significance in this variable in relation to the changes on the pattern of alcohol consumption, parental supervision was identified in studies prior to the pandemic as one of the most important protective factors for risky alcohol use in this population (Evans-Polce et al, 2017;Simons-Morton, 2016). Studies carried out at the beginning of the pandemic found that students who returned to the family home after the closing of the university campus had a significant reduction in alcohol use, in relation to students who already resided with their parents (Ryerson et al, 2021;Su et al, 2022;White et al, 2020).…”

The relation between mental health and career-related stress among prospective graduates in higher education stage during the COVID-19 pandemic: an evidence based on network analysis

“…The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on people’s lives. During this period, the countries’ economy ( Goodell, 2020 ) and energy ( Jiang et al, 2021 ; Szczygielski et al, 2022 ) were affected, companies’ performance suffered ( Shen et al, 2020 ), and individuals’ multiple interpersonal relationships ( Morelli et al, 2020 ; Qu et al, 2021 ; Chung et al, 2022 ; Su et al, 2022 ; Zhu et al, 2022 ; Afriat et al, 2023 ; Cheong et al, 2023 ), mental health status and well-being are also threatened ( Crabtree et al, 2021 ; Stieger et al, 2021 ; Tan et al, 2021 ; Negri et al, 2023 ). Results of a systematic review by Xiong et al (2020) indicate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the general population in China, Spain, Italy, Iran, the United States, Turkey, Nepal, and Denmark experienced relatively high proportions of anxiety (6.33% to 50.9%), depression (14.6% to 48.3%)), post-traumatic stress disorder (7% to 53.8%), psychological distress (34.43% to 38%), and stress (8.1% to 81.9%).…”