TITLE:
The Impact of Binge Drinking among Brazilian University Students on Mental Health and Quality of Life: A Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Study
AUTHORS:
Mayara Arina Bertolo, Carlos Renato Tirapelli, Adriana Inocenti Miasso, Natália Priolli Jora Pegoraro, Maria Olívia Barboza Zanetti, Christopher Wagstaff, Sandra Cristina Pillon
KEYWORDS:
Binge Drinking, COVID-19, Quality of Life, Depression, Prevalence, University Students
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.16 No.11,
November
27,
2024
ABSTRACT: Background: The restrictive lockdown measures that were introduced as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic imposed constraints that affected university students’ drinking habits and mental health. Methods: The current study evaluated the rate of binge drinking among university students as they returned to normal life post-lockdown and whether binge drinking affected their mental health and quality of life. A cross-sectional study included 1382 university students (18 - 24 years) of one private Southwestern university in Brazil. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief were used. Data were collected after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period (from October 2021 to May 2022). Results: 52.6% of the students reported binge drinking, and 35.6% reported symptoms of depression. Binge drinkers were 1.41 times more likely to experience depressive symptoms when compared with non-binge drinkers, and binge drinking was a risk factor for lower quality of life in all three domains (physical, psychological and environmental). Conclusion: Our study highlights an increased prevalence of binge drinking in university students after the pandemic lockdown. The rise in binge drinking rates was linked to depressive symptoms and worsening of quality of life.