KENT, OH - Results from a study, led by William Lechner and colleagues of KSU, were highlighted in a recent Nature article about mental health and alcohol use.
The impact of the pandemic on college students’ mental health and use of alcohol was the focus of the study by KSU researchers Lechner, Deric Kenne, Kimberly Laurene, Sweta Patel, Megan Anderson and Chelsea Grega.
Lechner and colleagues found that university students’ mental health has suffered during COVID-19. Healthy ways to cope with anxiety and stress are less accessible with COVID restrictions, correlating with increased alcohol consumption by students, as Lechner mentioned in the Nature article.
“The pandemic took away a lot of forms of healthy coping,” Lechner says. “You may not be able to go to the gym like you used to, and you certainly can’t go out and socialize in a healthy way” (Quoted by Chris Woolston in Nature Article).
Lechner also warns that increased use of alcohol may have long-term negative side effects. Because of this, Lechner and colleagues want to highlight the importance of offering mental health programming and support to students, as more mental health support reduces the risk and continuation of unhealthy habits.
According to the researchers, “These findings highlight the need for universities to offer services and programs to students that will minimize risk factors and maximize protective factors in order to reduce or prevent alcohol abuse during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Lechner and colleagues plan to continue following this line of research to examine the long-term impact of the pandemic on college students.
About the Researchers:
William Lechner, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kent State University.
Deric Kenne, PhD, is an associate professor in the College of Public Health and works in the Center for Public Policy and the Division of Mental Health and Substance Use at Kent State University.
Kimberly Laurene, PhD, is an assistant professor in the College of Public Health and works in the Division of Mental Health and Substance Use at Kent State University.
Megan Anderson, MPH, and Chelsea Grega, MPH, work in the Division of Mental Health and Substance Use at Kent State University.
Sweta Patel is a graduate student in the College of Public Health at Kent State University.
Additional Information:
The Nature article: ‘The problem is greater than it’s ever been’: US universities urged to invest in mental-health resources
About Kent State's Department of Psychological Sciences
About Kent State's College of Public Health
About the Center for Public Policy and Health