Hazardous alcohol use, drinking motives and COVID-19-related anxiety in college students.

Objective: This study examined the associations of anxiety and drinking motives with hazardous and binge alcohol use among young adults.
Participants: We recruited young adults (N = 182, mean age 25) between November 2020 and December 2020.
Methods: Linear regressions were used to evaluate relationships among hazardous alcohol use (US Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C [USAUDIT-C]), binge drinking (Alcohol Intake Questionnaire [AIQ]), PROMIS-Anxiety, COVID-19 related anxiety (CAS), and the drinking to cope with depression and anxiety subscales of the Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire.
Results: Sixty-two percent of participants reported hazardous drinking (USAUDIT-C score > 4). PROMIS Anxiety and CAS scores were 63.7 and 1.0, respectively. Scores were positively associated with drinking patterns. However, the drinking to cope with depression motive significantly mediated these associations.
Conclusions: After the onset of the pandemic, hazardous and binge drinking patterns among young adults were associated with drinking to cope with depression rather than anxiety.