Drinking habits among college students is a public health crisis. During the pandemic, the alcohol consumption dynamics have shifted. During COVID-19, students experienced a higher level of isolation due to universities shutting down and students being sent home which made partying and socializing less accessible. These drastic changes to the social lives of the students could be linked to increase levels of alcohol consequences. Research also indicates that parents continue to influence the drinking patterns of their children as the children enter college. The purpose of this study is to analyze how changing students’ environment from being on campus to living with their parent(s)/guardian(s) has affected the students’ and parent(s)/guardian(s)’ drinking habits. Data will be collected via an online survey through email invitation at a mid-sized Midwest university. Measures were written to assess how students perceive their alcohol consumption, and their parent(s)/guardian(s) alcohol consumption has changed from pre-COVID to during COVID. We expect to find a strong correlation between environmental influences and students’ drinking; students with parent(s)/guardian(s) who consume significant amounts of alcohol will have a more significantly increased rate of drinking compared to students who have a parent(s)/guardians who drink very little. In addition, it is predicted that there will be a perceived increase in parent(s)/ guardian(s) drinking across the board during the pandemic from the students. The information that could be gained from this study can bring a better understanding of how sudden social shifts can cause students to adjust their drinking habits.
Authors: Andrea Balazs & Rose Marie Ward, Ph.D.
Advisor: Rose Marie Ward, Department of Kinesiology and Health