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Alcohol Use and Mental Health among Older American Adults during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

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  • Marisa R. Eastman

    (Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA)

  • Jessica M. Finlay

    (Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA)

  • Lindsay C. Kobayashi

    (Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA)

Abstract

Poor mental health associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may prompt the utilization of various coping behaviors, including alcohol use. We aimed to investigate the relationships between mental health symptomatology and self-reported changes in alcohol consumption at the onset of the pandemic. Data were from the nationwide COVID-19 Coping Study of US adults aged ≥55 in April and May 2020 (n = 6548). We used population-weighted multivariable-adjusted multi-nomial logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for the associations between mental health (of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, each) and self-reported increased alcohol consumption (vs. no change in consumption). One in ten adults (717/6548; 11%) reported an increase in their alcohol consumption in the past week compared to their usual pre-COVID-19 drinking. Mental health symptomatology was associated with increased drinking since the pandemic onset (depression: OR = 2.66, 95% CI: 1.99–3.56; anxiety: OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.34–2.42; loneliness: OR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.83–3.28). Participants who screened positive for all three mental health outcomes were substantially more likely to report increased alcohol consumption since the onset of the pandemic (OR = 3.87, 95% CI: 2.52–5.96, vs. no mental health outcomes). This study demonstrates potentially harmful changes in alcohol intake among middle-to-older aged adults experiencing mental health symptomatology during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Marisa R. Eastman & Jessica M. Finlay & Lindsay C. Kobayashi, 2021. "Alcohol Use and Mental Health among Older American Adults during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-13, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:8:p:4222-:d:537291
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Wen Liu & Guosheng Han & Xiangzi Yan & Xuan Zhang & Guangjie Ning & Armigon Ravshanovich Akhmedov & William Cannon Hunter, 2021. "The Impact of Mental Health Status on Health Consumption of the Elderly in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Nagisa Sugaya & Tetsuya Yamamoto & Naho Suzuki & Chigusa Uchiumi, 2021. "Alcohol Use and Its Related Psychosocial Effects during the Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Nagisa Sugaya & Tetsuya Yamamoto & Naho Suzuki & Chigusa Uchiumi, 2023. "Change in Alcohol Use during the Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Psychosocial Factors: A One-Year Longitudinal Study in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-16, February.

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