Corran, C., Norman, P. orcid.org/0000-0002-5892-0470 and O’Connor, R.M. (2025) Young adult drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic: examining the role of anxiety sensitivity, perceived stress, and drinking motives. Journal of American College Health. ISSN 0744-8481
Abstract
Studies have shown that those high in anxiety were at increased risk for alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tension reduction theory points to anxiety sensitivity (AS) as a potential risk factor. Drinking to cope may further increase this risk. During the pandemic, those high in AS may have experienced increased stress and drank to cope, which may have put them at risk for misusing alcohol. Objective: The current study tested the association between AS and alcohol outcomes, mediated by perceived stress and drinking motives, among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants and Methods: Young adults (N = 143) self-reported on AS, perceived stress, drinking motives, and alcohol outcomes (i.e., use and problems). Results: A mediation analysis revealed that AS positively predicted alcohol problems, via coping motives, and positively predicted alcohol use, via perceived stress and enhancement/sociability motives. Conclusion: These results confirm AS-risk for young adult alcohol use during the pandemic and highlight perceived stress and drinking motives as mechanisms of risk.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. |
Keywords: | alcohol use; anxiety sensitivity; drinking motives; perceived stress; young adults |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 22 Jan 2025 14:34 |
Last Modified: | 22 Jan 2025 14:34 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2440761 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Informa UK Limited |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/07448481.2024.2440761 |
Related URLs: | |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:222086 |