Alcohol consumption during COVID-19 Lockdown in Romania. Social demographic differences, predictors and moderators

Authors

  • Georgiana Vornicu Universitatea ,,Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iaşi
  • Andreea Ursu Universitatea ,,Ștefan cel Mare”, Suceava

Keywords:

alcohol consumption, COVID-19, Romania, lockdown, predictor, moderator

Abstract

This present study aims to examine the individual and social factors, the predictors and moderators of alcohol consumption during COVID-19 lockdown in Romania. In a community sample of 262 participants, we found gender and age differences on the alcohol consumption during the first two months of the outbreak. In addition, we also found that gender, age, and social influence positively predicted alcohol consumption during the lockdown. The research also explored the moderating role of age and gender in predicting the alcohol consumption during COVID-19 lockdown. The results revealed that only gender moderates the link between social influence and alcohol consumption during the outbreak. These results have practical implications by suggesting the need of designing prevention actions or interventions for this at-risk group.

References

ABRAHAO, K.P., SALINAS, A.G., & LOVINGER, D.M. Alcohol and the brain: neuronal molecular targets, synapses, and circuits. Neuron, 96, 6, 2017, p. 1223–1238.

ADAMA, https://www.adama.com/documents/620392/0/infografic+studiu+ADAMA.pdf, (accessed on 4 October 2020).

AHORSU, D.K., LIN, C.Y., IMANI, V., SAFFARI, M., GRIFFITHS, M.D., & PAKPOUR, A.H. The fear of COVID-19 scale: development and initial validation. International journal of mental health and addiction, 2020.

BABOR, T.F., & GRANT, M., From clinical research to secondary prevention: International collaboration in the development of the Alcohol Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Alcohol Health & Research World, 13, 4, 1989, p. 371–375.

BOR, J., BASU, S., COUTTS, A., MCKEE, M., & STUCKLER, D., Alcohol use during the great recession of 2008–2009, Alcohol and alcoholism, 48, 3, 2013, p. 343–348.

BROWN, R.L., & RICHMAN, J.A., Sex differences in mediating and moderating processes linking economic stressors, psychological distress, and drinking, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73, 5, 2012, p. 811–819.

COHEN, S., KAMARCK, T., & MERMELSTEIN, R., A global measure of perceived stress, Journal of health and social behavior, 1983, p. 385–396.

COLDER, C.R., & CHASSIN, L., The psychosocial characteristics of alcohol users versus problem users: Data from a study of adolescents at risk, Development and Psychopathology, 11, 2, 1999, p. 321–348.

COOPER, M.L., KUNTSCHE, E., LEVITT, A., BARBER, L.L., & WOLF, S., Motivational models of substance use: A review of theory and research on motives for using alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco, 2016.

DE GOEIJ, M.C., SUHRCKE, M., TOFFOLUTTI, V., VAN DE MHEEN, D., SCHOENMAKERS, T.M., & KUNST, A.E., How economic crises affect alcohol consumption and alcohol-related health problems: a realist systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 131, 2015, p. 131–146.

Eurocare Alcohol Sales, https://www.eurocare.org/cares.php?sp=alcohol-and-health&ssp=alcohol- consumption-in-times-of-covid-19 (accessed on 13 June 2020).

FIELD, A., Discovering statistics using SPSS. Thousand Oaks, CA, US, 2005.

FLORY, K., HANKIN, B.L., KLOOS, B., CHEELY, C., & TURECKI, G., Alcohol and cigarette use and misuse among Hurricane Katrina survivors: psychosocial risk and protective factors, Substance use & misuse, 44, 12, 2009, p. 1711–1724.

HEALTH MINISTERY, Daily Report, http://www.ms.ro/2020/02/28/buletin-informativ-28-02-2020-ora-1600/(accessed on 23 September 2020).

KHANTZIAN, E.J., The self-medication hypothesis of substance use disorders: A reconsideration and recent applications, Harvard review of psychiatry, 4, 5, 1997, p. 231–244.

LEUNG, R.K., TOUMBOUROU, J.W., & HEMPHILL, S.A., The effect of peer influence and selection processes on adolescent alcohol use: a systematic review of longitudinal studies, Health psychology review, 8, 4, 2014, p. 426–457.

MUCCI, N., GIORGI, G., RONCAIOLI, M., PEREZ, J.F., & ARCANGELI, G., The correlation between stress and economic crisis: a systematic review, Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 12, 2016, p. 983.

NORTH, C.S., RINGWALT, C.L., DOWNS, D., DERZON, J., & GALVIN, D., Postdisaster course of alcohol use disorders in systematically studied survivors of 10 disasters, Archives of general psychiatry, 68, 2, 2011, p. 173–180.

QUINN, P.D., & FROMME, K., Alcohol use and related problems among college students and their noncollege peers: The competing roles of personality and peer influence, Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 72, 4, 2011, p. 622–632.

POPESCU, A.L., Coronavirus. Românii s-au înghesuit să cumpere alcool și tutun în pandemie, magazinele au mărit prețurile, Romania Europa Liberă, 2020, https://romania.europalibera.org/a/ coronavirus-romanii-s-au-inghesuit-cumpere-alcool-tutun-pandemie-magazinele-au-marit-preturile/30601530.html (accessed on 4 October 2020).

Rebalanging the “Covid-19 effect” on alcohol sales, https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/ 2020/rebalancing-the-covid-19-effect-on-alcohol-sales/ (accessed on 23 September 2020).

RODRIGUEZ, L.M., LITT, D.M., & STEWART, S.H., Drinking to cope with the pandemic: The unique associations of COVID-19-related perceived threat and psychological distress to drinking behaviors in American men and women, Addictive behaviors, 110, 2020.

STEWART, S.H., GAVRIC, D., & COLLINS, P., Women, girls, and alcohol, 2009.

TAYLOR, S., The psychology of pandemics: Preparing for the next global outbreak of infectious disease, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.

ȚACHE, P., Românii au băut mai puțin în autoizolare. Dar au mâncat mai mult, EVZ, 2020, https://evz.ro/romanii-au-baut-mai-putin-in-autoizolare-dar-au-mancat-mai-mult.html (accessed on 4 October 2020).

VARELA, A., & PRITCHARD, M.E., Peer influence: use of alcohol, tobacco, and prescription medications, Journal of American College Health, 59, 8, 2011, p. 751–756.

WANG, C., PAN, R., WAN, X., TAN, Y., XU, L., HO, C.S., & HO, R.C., Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China, International journal of environmental research and public health, 17, 5, 2020, p. 1729.

WARDELL, J., KEMPE, T., RAPINDA, K.K., SINGLE, A., BILEVICIUS, E., FROHLICH, J.R., & KEOUGH, M.T., Drinking to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of external and internal stress-related factors in coping motive pathways to alcohol use, solitary drinking, and alcohol problems, 2020.

World Health Organization. Coronavirus Disease 2019. Available online: https://www.who.int/ emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 (accessed on 23 September 2020).

Downloads

Published

10-12-2021

Issue

Section

Studies and researches

How to Cite

Alcohol consumption during COVID-19 Lockdown in Romania. Social demographic differences, predictors and moderators. (2021). Revista De Psihologie, 67(4), 307-3018. https://journalofpsychology.ro/index.php/RP/article/view/52