ERIC Number: EJ1473221
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0744-8481
EISSN: EISSN-1940-3208
Available Date: 0000-00-00
The Substance Use Behaviors Change of First-Year College Students before and during COVID-19 Pandemic
Samuel Pasqualoni1; Yang Bai2; Azilee Curl1; Jeffrey Rettew1; Lindsay Kimball1; Vinay Devadanam1; Hakeem Yousef1; James Hudziak1; William E. Copeland
Journal of American College Health, v73 n4 p1502-1509 2025
Objective: This article tests the substance use behaviors of college students before and during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In-depth assessment and nightly survey data was used from a longitudinal study (n = 675) which examined student substance use during the 2019-2020 academic year, both before and during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in beer/wine, tobacco, liquor, and marijuana use before "versus" during the pandemic, in addition to the interaction of COVID-19, were tested with gender and subjective social status. Results: Marijuana use significantly decreased from a weekly prevalence of 9.9% before COVID-19 to 6.4% during COVID-19 (p = 0.002). A similar decrease was seen in liquor use (10.6% before COVID to 6.4% during COVID, p = 0.01). There was no significant change observed for beer/wine use or for tobacco use. Conclusion: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, liquor, and marijuana use decreased for college students, while other substance use stayed the same.
Descriptors: Substance Abuse, College Freshmen, COVID-19, Pandemics, Drinking, Marijuana, Gender Differences, Social Status, Incidence, Student Characteristics, Smoking
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA; 2University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA