By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

While it’s no secret that many college students drink alcohol, how COVID-19 affected these behaviors and patterns is the focus of recent research published in the journal Addictive Behaviors by Kent State University’s William Lechner, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Deric Kenne, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Public Health.

Image/Debora Cartagena

As colleges nationwide began shutting down their campuses and transitioning to remote learning, Lechner decided to study the effects that a major stressor such as the pandemic could have on addictive behaviors. Lechner also wanted to unpack how vulnerabilities such as anxiety and depression played a part in the coping process of college students.

A survey was sent out to Kent State undergraduate, graduate and medical school students and consisted of a questionnaire focused on drinking and lifestyle patterns.

“As long as they were enrolled as a student for the 2020 Spring Semester, they were included in the recruitment process,” Lechner said.

The researchers had a 12.8% response rate to the survey, and of the 4,276 student respondents, the mean age was 24.4, nearly 80% were female and 86% were white.

Not surprisingly, Lechner and Kenne’s findings supported their initial hypothesis.

Read more at Kent State University