Health coping behaviors and alcohol and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

• EM McCabe
• JW Luk
• BL Stangl
• ML Schwandt
• R Momenan
• D Goldman
• N Diazgranados
• VA Ramchandani

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate endorsement of health (coping) behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic by participants with and without alcohol use disorder (AUD), and the impact of these health behaviors on perceived stress, mental health outcomes, loneliness, and drinking motives and behaviors.
Participants (n=448, 52% female, 44% non-White) completed a longitudinal survey that included a scale assessing a range of positive and negative coping behaviors. A latent class analysis (LCA) identified two classes characterized by: high (Class I, 82%) and low (Class II, 17.9%) probability of positive coping behaviors. We examined associations between latent classes of coping behaviors with perceived stress (PSS), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), loneliness (UCLA), drinking-to-cope (DMQ-Coping) and drinking behavior (total AUDIT), and demographic variables.
There were significant differences between AUD and non-AUD groups across coping behavior classes, in PSS, GAD-7, PHQ-9, DMQ-Coping, UCLA and Total AUDIT scores, after covarying for age, gender, race and income level. Class 2 participants with AUD had significantly higher scores for PSS, GAD-7, PHQ-9, Coping DMQ and Total AUDIT scores than participants in Class 1 with AUD. For GAD-7, PHQ-9 and DMQ Coping measures, a high probability of endorsing positive coping behaviors (Class 1) dampened the effect of AUD status on these outcomes.
Individuals with a low probability of positive coping behaviors demonstrated significantly greater perceived stress, anxiety and depressive scores, drinking-to-cope motives, and drinking behavior. Endorsement of positive coping behaviors may be especially important for individuals with AUD. Future health interventions should target populations with poor coping behaviors.

Scientific Focus Area: Clinical Research

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