Thcis study aims to describe college students’ psychological well-being (PWB), coping strategies and alcohol use during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the study investigated whether different coping styles moderate the relationship between alcohol use and PWB.
A sample of 1,415 students (70% female, 72% White, mean age 19.34) were recruited during COVID-19. The study conducted nonparametric analyses to explore demographic variations and linear regression models to test the moderating effect of coping styles on the relationship between alcohol use and PWB.
Students reported moderate PWB (M = 157.23, SD = 14.76) and higher levels of adaptive (M = 33.70, SD = 7.28) compared to maladaptive coping (M = 26.55, SD = 6.73). Participants reported AUDIT-C (M = 3.51, SD = 2.91) and heavy drinking levels (M = 4.78, SD = 4.91) that were lower than rates reported by similar populations in prior studies prepandemic. Adaptive coping was associated with higher PWB and attenuated the negative association between alcohol use and PWB at high coping levels, while maladaptive coping showed limited moderating effects for hazardous drinking only.
This study findings suggest that college students maintained moderate levels of PWB during COVID-19. Consistent with other studies, rates of alcohol use in this sample were comparatively lower than those reported in prepandemic studies. The study highlights the protective nature of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that in times of high external stress, adaptive coping skills may serve to attenuate the negative association between alcohol use and PWB among college students.
