Start Date
21-6-2021 9:15 AM
End Date
21-6-2021 10:00 AM
Topic
Interventions in Education
Session Chair
Julia Hastings
Abstract
College students, a high risk group for substance use and problems (White & Kingston, 2013), have reported heightened mental health concerns over the past few years (Oswalt et al, 2020). Prior research examining substance misuse and mental health concerns indicate the two tend to co-occur (Cranford et al., 2009). One of the greatest risk factors for future substance use disorder is using substances to cope with negative affect (Patrick et al., 2011). Research on the effect of the pandemic on college student’s mental health has documented increased levels of stress and anxiety, with women reporting worse well-being compared to men (Hoyt et al., 2020). Given the increased psychological distress during the coronavirus pandemic (Martinez & Nguyen, 2020), it is important to examine the relationship between substance use and anxiety surrounding COVID-19 among this population. Research on coronavirus infection and mortality has demonstrated a disparity in health outcomes across racial identities (Gross et al., 2020). It is critical to examine discrepancies in substance use behaviors and the impact of the pandemic on mental health across college student men and women identifying as racial and ethnic minorities. The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence rates of alcohol use, marijuana use, and reports of using substances to cope. Further, we examined whether COVID-anxiety, defined as anxiety specific to the pandemic, and alcohol- and marijuana-coping motives, differed as a function of race and gender after controlling for general psychological distress. Participants were 1,492 students at a large public university in the Northeast. Participants completed measures on alcohol and marijuana use, alcohol and marijuana coping motives, psychological distress and COVID-anxiety. White students reported the highest frequencies of alcohol use, whereas Hispanic/Latinx students reported the highest rates of risky alcohol use. About 25% of Biracial and Hispanic/Latinx students reported past month marijuana use, which was the highest among the racial groups. Biracial students reported the highest rates of psychological distress, COVID-anxiety, and increased substance use due to COVID-related stress. Asian/Asian American students reported the lowest rates of substance use across all indices. About 20% of cis-women and cis-men reported past month marijuana use. Cis-women reported higher frequencies of past month alcohol use, risky alcohol use, psychological distress, COVID-anxiety and increased substance use due to COVID-related stress. Two MANCOVAs examined differences in race and gender in COVID-anxiety, and substance-related coping motives while controlling for psychological distress. The interaction between race and gender on COVID-anxiety and alcohol coping motives was significant, (F8, 1398= 1.93, p =.05;Wilks’Λ = .978). The main effects for race (p=.008) and gender (p=.000) were significant, with slightly larger effect sizes for gender in comparison to race. The model examining COVID-anxiety and marijuana coping motives failed to demonstrate a significant race by gender interaction (p=.585), however main effects for race (p=.002) and gender (p=.017) were significant, with larger effect sizes for race in comparison to gender. Findings support race and gender identity as important determinants of COVID-anxiety and substance-related coping motives. Implications for research, targeted prevention initiatives, and clinical work will be discussed.
Author Bio
(Presenter)
Dr. Laura M. Longo is a graduate of the University at Albany’s Doctoral Counseling Psychology program. She is an Alcohol and Other Drug Preventionist in the Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research, and a licensed psychologist at Counseling and Psychological Services, at the University at Albany. Dr. Longo is passionate about understanding factors that influence college student substance use, examining related health disparities, and addressing addiction-stigma. Her work focuses on the design, delivery, and evaluation of innovative prevention and intervention services geared towards minimizing substance misuse. Additionally, Dr. Longo is further developing the University at Albany’s Collegiate Recovery Program, to support academic scholars who are in recovery and those who are impacted by another person’s substance use. She also provides psychotherapy services to individuals with substance use disorders at an outpatient hospital setting and has taught a doctoral level course in the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Dr. Longo has provided training in the evidence-based practice Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) through her position on a grant funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She has received grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the University at Albany to support her research.
Cara is a rising third-year Counseling Psychology doctoral student working with Dr. Jessica Martin. Her research interests include social determinants of health and their impact on people in recovery's quality of life, protective factors and substance use in racial and sexual minority populations, and anti-racism in higher education.
Jessica L. Martin, PhD is a New York State licensed psychologist and an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology within the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at the University at Albany. Dr. Martin’s research expertise is in the area of college student drinking and other health-risk behaviors. Specifically, she investigates individual, psychosocial, cultural, and contextual risk and protective factors for substance use and co-occurring disorders and health-risk behaviors (e.g., disordered eating, risky sexual behavior) and health disparities as they relate to substance use. Dr. Martin is also interested in the training of mental health providers in addiction psychology and screening and brief interventions for substance use (SBIRT). She has has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics. She has experience developing, implementing, managing, and evaluating brief interventions for alcohol use, including nearly $2 million in projects funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and the Foundation for Alcohol Research (ABMRF). Dr. Martin currently chairs the Education and Training Committee for the Society of Addiction Psychology (Division 50, American Psychological Association) and is a member of several journal editorial boards.
Natalie Sumski MPH, CHES® earned her Master of Public Health Degree with a concentration in Social Behavior and Community Health from the University at Albany. In addition, she became a Certified Health Education Specialist, CHES®, shortly after. Natalie works as a College Prevention Coordinator for the University at Albany Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research through the College Environmental Prevention Grant received from the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. In this position, Natalie coordinates alcohol and other drug prevention efforts both on- and off-campus. This includes designing and disseminating social norms and health marketing projects, delivering programming related to alcohol and other drugs, supervising students in the Middle Earth Peer Education program and being involved in community and campus coalitions related to alcohol prevention. In addition, Natalie coordinated the Generation Rx initiative at the University at Albany, which was made possible through a grant received from the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse, Prevention and Recovery.
Dr. M. Dolores Cimini is a New York State licensed psychologist and Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research at the University at Albany, SUNY. She is also the Director of the nationally recognized Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program. Dr. Cimini has led comprehensive efforts in research-to-practice translation at the University at Albany for the past 28 years with over $9 million in support from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice, and New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. The screening and brief intervention program developed by Dr. Cimini, the STEPS Comprehensive Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Program, has earned 13 national awards for best practices and innovation in behavioral health care. Dr. Cimini has co-edited two books, including a volume focused on college student health and well-being entitled Promoting Behavioral Health and reducing Risk Among College Students: A Comprehensive Approach (2018). Dr. Cimini served as a member of the National Advisory Council of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration from 2015-2019 and is currently a member of the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. She served on the governance board of the American Psychological Association, where she is the past Chair of the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest; in this role, she has had leadership for reviewing and disseminating APA’s practice standards focused on serving diverse and underrepresented groups and the addressing of issues related to psychology and social justice. Prior to her work with BAPPI, Dr. Cimini was a member of APA’s Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP) from 2008-2011.
Document Type
Extended Abstract
Included in
COVID-19-Anxiety and Using Substances to Cope: Differences Across Race and Gender in a New York State College Student Sample
College students, a high risk group for substance use and problems (White & Kingston, 2013), have reported heightened mental health concerns over the past few years (Oswalt et al, 2020). Prior research examining substance misuse and mental health concerns indicate the two tend to co-occur (Cranford et al., 2009). One of the greatest risk factors for future substance use disorder is using substances to cope with negative affect (Patrick et al., 2011). Research on the effect of the pandemic on college student’s mental health has documented increased levels of stress and anxiety, with women reporting worse well-being compared to men (Hoyt et al., 2020). Given the increased psychological distress during the coronavirus pandemic (Martinez & Nguyen, 2020), it is important to examine the relationship between substance use and anxiety surrounding COVID-19 among this population. Research on coronavirus infection and mortality has demonstrated a disparity in health outcomes across racial identities (Gross et al., 2020). It is critical to examine discrepancies in substance use behaviors and the impact of the pandemic on mental health across college student men and women identifying as racial and ethnic minorities. The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence rates of alcohol use, marijuana use, and reports of using substances to cope. Further, we examined whether COVID-anxiety, defined as anxiety specific to the pandemic, and alcohol- and marijuana-coping motives, differed as a function of race and gender after controlling for general psychological distress. Participants were 1,492 students at a large public university in the Northeast. Participants completed measures on alcohol and marijuana use, alcohol and marijuana coping motives, psychological distress and COVID-anxiety. White students reported the highest frequencies of alcohol use, whereas Hispanic/Latinx students reported the highest rates of risky alcohol use. About 25% of Biracial and Hispanic/Latinx students reported past month marijuana use, which was the highest among the racial groups. Biracial students reported the highest rates of psychological distress, COVID-anxiety, and increased substance use due to COVID-related stress. Asian/Asian American students reported the lowest rates of substance use across all indices. About 20% of cis-women and cis-men reported past month marijuana use. Cis-women reported higher frequencies of past month alcohol use, risky alcohol use, psychological distress, COVID-anxiety and increased substance use due to COVID-related stress. Two MANCOVAs examined differences in race and gender in COVID-anxiety, and substance-related coping motives while controlling for psychological distress. The interaction between race and gender on COVID-anxiety and alcohol coping motives was significant, (F8, 1398= 1.93, p =.05;Wilks’Λ = .978). The main effects for race (p=.008) and gender (p=.000) were significant, with slightly larger effect sizes for gender in comparison to race. The model examining COVID-anxiety and marijuana coping motives failed to demonstrate a significant race by gender interaction (p=.585), however main effects for race (p=.002) and gender (p=.017) were significant, with larger effect sizes for race in comparison to gender. Findings support race and gender identity as important determinants of COVID-anxiety and substance-related coping motives. Implications for research, targeted prevention initiatives, and clinical work will be discussed.
Comments
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