As of October 29, 2020, the United States has had 8,834,393 positive COVID-19 cases and 227,045 COVID-19 deaths (CDC, 2020). Although this disease is a recent development, some studies have already been conducted on COVID-19 anxiety. 20.9% of adults in Australia reported drinking more during the pandemic than before (Tran et al., 2020). 24.9% of college students surveyed in China reported anxiety of mild to severe during the pandemic (Cao et al., 2020). Similarly, it has been found that alcohol has been used as a coping mechanism for COVID-19 related distress (McPhee et al., 2020). This study in unique in that it will relate anxiety about COVID-19 to drinking behaviors in college students. A convenience sample of college students was recruited for an online survey. The Fear of COVID-19 scale will be used to calculate anxiety about COVID-19, and the trait part of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory will be used to assess normal levels of anxiety for participants. An original scale will be used to measure shifts in drinking behaviors. The RAPI will be used to assess negative consequences related to alcohol and peak drinking will be measured in relation to the other variables. Levels of peak drinking were significantly correlated with the FCV-19S, COVID drinking behaviors and the RAPI. COVID drinking behaviors were significantly correlated with FCV-19S, and the STAI was significantly correlated with FCV-19S. These results will contribute to the critical area of resource focused on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study can be used by universities to monitor unhealthy behaviors being taken by their students. It can also be used as a motivator to support mental health resources for students during the pandemic, as a preventative measure for alcohol abuse. Further studies could focus on the long-term effects of these drinking behavior shifts.
Author: Katelyn Stone
Faculty Advisor: Rose Marie Ward, Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health
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