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Background: There are concerns that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic may increase drinking, but most accounts to date are cross‐sectional studies of self‐attributions about alcohol‐related impacts and the accuracy of those perceptions has not been investigated. The current study examined the correspondence between self‐attributions of pandemic‐related changes in drinking and longitudinally‐measured changes in drinking and alcohol‐related consequences in a sample of emerging adults. Methods: In an existing ongoing longitudinal study on alcohol misuse (≥1 heavy episodic drinking day/month) in emerging adults, 473 individuals (Mage = 23.8; 41.7% male) received a supplemental assessment from June 17th to July 1st, 2020, during public health restrictions in Ontario, Canada. These intrapandemic data were matched to the most recent assessment prior to the pandemic (~8 months earlier). Self‐attributions about changes in drinking were assessed globally (i.e., increases/decreases/no change) and with higher resolution questions clarifying the magnitude of changes. Results: Global self‐attributions about changes in drinking substantively paralleled longitudinal changes in weekly drinking days (DD). In the longitudinal data, individuals' who self‐reported increases in drinking exhibited significant increases; individuals' who self‐reported decreases exhibited significant decreases; and individuals who self‐reported no change exhibited nonsignificant changes. Higher resolution items likewise revealed longitudinal patterns of weekly drinking that were substantively consistent with self‐attributions. Heavy DD and alcohol‐related consequences exhibited similar patterns, but only individuals who self‐reported large increases in drinking exhibited increases on these outcomes. Individuals who reported large increases in drinking also exhibited significant increases in depression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Conclusions: Self‐attributions about drinking closely corresponded to longitudinal changes in drinking, supporting the validity of self‐attributions in population‐level surveys, particularly in young adults. Notably, a subgroup was identified that exhibited pronounced increases for all alcohol‐related outcomes and concurrent increases in internalizing psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are significant concerns that the COVID‐19 pandemic may have negative effects on substance use and mental health, but most studies to date are cross‐sectional. In a sample of emerging adults, over a two‐week period during the pandemic, the current study examined: (1) changes in drinking‐related outcomes, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder and (2) differences in changes by sex and income loss. The intra‐pandemic measures were compared to pre‐pandemic measures. Methods: Participants were 473 emerging adults (Mage = 23.84; 41.7% male) in an existing longitudinal study on alcohol misuse who were assessed from June 17 to July 1, 2020, during acute public health restrictions in Ontario, Canada. These intra‐pandemic data were matched to participant pre‐pandemic reports, collected an average of 5 months earlier. Assessments included validated measures of drinking, alcohol‐related consequences, and mental health indicators. Results: Longitudinal analyses revealed significant decreases in heavy drinking and adverse alcohol consequences, with no moderation by sex or income loss, but with substantial heterogeneity in changes. Significant increases in continuous measures of depression and anxiety were present, both of which were moderated by sex. Females reported significantly larger increases in depression and anxiety. Income loss >50% was significantly associated with increases in depression. Conclusions: During the initial phase of the pandemic, reductions in heavy drinking and alcohol consequences were present in this sample of emerging adults, perhaps due to restrictions on socializing. In contrast, there was an increase in internalizing symptoms , especially in females, highlighting disparities in the mental health impacts of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heavy episodic drinking (HED) is a major public health problem among emerging adults (individuals 18 to 25), but with considerable heterogeneity in concurrent substance use and psychopathology. The current study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to detect discrete subgroups of HED based on alcohol, other drug severity, and concurrent psychopathology. A reinforcer pathology approach was used to understand motivational differences among the latent subgroups. Methods: Participants were 2 samples of emerging adults reporting regular HED, 1 Canadian (n = 730) and 1 American (n = 602). Indicators for the LPA were validated dimensional self‐report assessments of alcohol severity, cannabis severity, other drug severity, nicotine dependence, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Reinforcer pathology indicators were measures of alcohol demand, proportionate substance‐related reinforcement, and discounting of future rewards. Results: The LPA yielded parallel 3‐class solutions in both samples. The largest subgroup was characterized by comparatively low substance severity and psychopathology (Low overall severity). The second largest subgroup was characterized by comparatively high alcohol and other drug severity (excluding tobacco) and high levels of psychopathology (Heavy alcohol & high psychiatric severity). The third subgroup exhibited high alcohol, smoking and intermediate levels of other substance use and psychopathology (Heavy alcohol, smoking, & intermediate psychiatric severity). The Heavy alcohol & high psychiatric severity and Heavy alcohol, smoking, & intermediate psychiatric severity subgroups exhibited significantly higher alcohol demand, greater proportionate substance‐related reinforcement, and steeper delay discounting. Conclusions: Parallel latent subgroups of emerging adults engaging in HED were present in both samples, and the high‐risk subgroups were significantly differentiated by the reinforcer pathology indicators. These latent profiles may ultimately inform heterogeneity in the longitudinal course of HED in emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]