198 - Associations among adolescent and young adult binge alcohol use and COVID-19 related exposures, impacts, and distress.

Poster Number: 198
Publication Number: 198.400

Machiko Minegishi, Boston Children's Hospital, Brookline, MA, United States; Sharon Levy, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, MA, United States; Elissa Weitzman, Boston Children's Hospital | Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States

Background: Among adolescents and young adults, alcohol use and heavy episodic or “binge” drinking behaviors are significant health risk behaviors that may have worsened in the setting of COVID-19 related stressors and negative experiences. 

Objective: This cross-sectional survey aims to measure associations among past-year alcohol use, binge drinking behaviors, and COVID-19 related experiences, impacts, and distress among AYA. 

Design/Methods: An electronic survey was administered in REDCap from 10/27/2020 to 5/24/2021 to AYA ages 16-23 years receiving health care at an urban hospital in the Northeast. Self-report of past-year alcohol use (yes/no) and among drinkers, binge level consumption (defined using age/sex cutoffs) in the past 3 months were assessed. Pandemic exposure, impact, and distress were assessed using the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scale (CEFIS); exposure (range: 0-28) is the sum of COVID-19 related events, impact (range:0-60) is the sum of pandemic impacts on emotional, physical and social wellbeing, and distress is scaled as (1=No distress 10= Extreme distress). Generalized estimating equations accounting for clinic clustering were used to estimate associations among pandemic exposure/impact/distress outcomes and past 3-month binge drinking, adjusting for age, sex, race, parent education, depression, anxiety, non-pharmaceutical intervention practices to mitigate pandemic risk and survey month. 

Results: Of 470 participants, 59% reported past-year alcohol use. Of these, 73% were female, 62% were white, and the mean age was 19.8 (SD1.4); 41% reported binge drinking. While the mean CEFIS distress score was similar (6 (SD2)) among binge and non-binge drinking groups, the mean exposure and impact scores were higher among AYA reporting binge drinking, respectively (9.8 vs 8.4, p< .01), (37.9 vs 35.2, p=.03). More AYA in the binge than non-binge groups reported their family member was exposed to COVID-19 (50% vs 35%, p=.02) and had symptoms (37% vs 18%, p< .01). In adjusted models, AYA with binge drinking were more likely to report family experiences of COVID-19 (AOR: 2.9; 95% CI, 1.3-6.7), higher levels of CEFIS exposure (β:1.6; 95% CI 0.9-2.3) and impact (β:2.3; 95% CI, 0.6-4.0). Conclusion(s): Positive associations among binge alcohol use and COVID-19 related exposures and impacts were found. Screening and supportive interventions are needed to address risks considering youth reporting negative pandemic exposures may be at heightened risk for binge drinking and the converse. 
 

Funding:  Conrad N Hilton Foundation Grant No.20140273/18455.