TY - JOUR
T1 - What Does Adolescent Substance Use Look Like During the COVID-19 Pandemic? Examining Changes in Frequency, Social Contexts, and Pandemic-Related Predictors
AU - Dumas, Tara M.
AU - Ellis, Wendy
AU - Litt, Dana M.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for funding this study (Insight Development Grant, PI: Dumas). They would also like to thank the following undergraduate students in Dr.Dumas' and Dr. Ellis' research laboratory for their help in providing quick feedback on our survey and in participant recruitment—Penny Laird, Grace Millett, Rasmyah Mohammad, Nicole Orlan, Hannah Soicher, Russell Spylo, Madeleine Visca, and, last but not least, our fantastic Project Manager, Shannon Ward.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
PY - 2020/9
Y1 - 2020/9
N2 - Purpose: The overarching goal of this study was to provide key information on how adolescents' substance use has changed since the corona virus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic, in addition to key contexts and correlates of substance use during social distancing. Methods: Canadian adolescents (n = 1,054, Mage = 16.68, standard deviation =.78) completed an online survey, in which they reported on their frequency of alcohol use, binge drinking, cannabis use, and vaping in the 3 weeks before and directly after social distancing practices had taken effect. Results: For most substances, the percentage of users decreased; however, the frequency of both alcohol and cannabis use increased. Although the greatest percentage of adolescents was engaging in solitary substance use (49.3%), many were still using substances with peers via technology (31.6%) and, shockingly, even face to face (23.6%). Concerns for how social distancing would affect peer reputation was a significant predictor of face-to-face substance use with friends among adolescents with low self-reported popularity, and a significant predictor of solitary substance use among average and high popularity teens. Finally, adjustment predictors, including depression and fear of the infectivity of COVID-19, predicted using solitary substance use during the pandemic. Conclusions: Our results provide preliminary evidence that adolescent substance use, including that which occurs face to face with peers, thereby putting adolescents at risk for contracting COVID-19, may be of particular concern during the pandemic. Further, solitary adolescent substance use during the pandemic, which is associated with poorer mental health and coping, may also be a notable concern worthy of further investigation.
AB - Purpose: The overarching goal of this study was to provide key information on how adolescents' substance use has changed since the corona virus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic, in addition to key contexts and correlates of substance use during social distancing. Methods: Canadian adolescents (n = 1,054, Mage = 16.68, standard deviation =.78) completed an online survey, in which they reported on their frequency of alcohol use, binge drinking, cannabis use, and vaping in the 3 weeks before and directly after social distancing practices had taken effect. Results: For most substances, the percentage of users decreased; however, the frequency of both alcohol and cannabis use increased. Although the greatest percentage of adolescents was engaging in solitary substance use (49.3%), many were still using substances with peers via technology (31.6%) and, shockingly, even face to face (23.6%). Concerns for how social distancing would affect peer reputation was a significant predictor of face-to-face substance use with friends among adolescents with low self-reported popularity, and a significant predictor of solitary substance use among average and high popularity teens. Finally, adjustment predictors, including depression and fear of the infectivity of COVID-19, predicted using solitary substance use during the pandemic. Conclusions: Our results provide preliminary evidence that adolescent substance use, including that which occurs face to face with peers, thereby putting adolescents at risk for contracting COVID-19, may be of particular concern during the pandemic. Further, solitary adolescent substance use during the pandemic, which is associated with poorer mental health and coping, may also be a notable concern worthy of further investigation.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Alcohol
KW - COVID-19
KW - Cannabis
KW - Substance use
KW - Vaping
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087870157&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.06.018
DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.06.018
M3 - Article
C2 - 32693983
AN - SCOPUS:85087870157
SN - 1054-139X
VL - 67
SP - 354
EP - 361
JO - Journal of Adolescent Health
JF - Journal of Adolescent Health
IS - 3
ER -