Risky Alcohol Use and Romantic Relationships Among College Students: A Longitudinal Study
Language
EN
Article de revue
This item was published in
Substance use & misuse. 2024-06-24p. 1-12
English Abstract
BACKGROUND: Risky alcohol use is frequent among college students and can be associated with functional outcomes. Bidirectional associations have been shown between alcohol use and the stability of romantic relationships, ...Read more >
BACKGROUND: Risky alcohol use is frequent among college students and can be associated with functional outcomes. Bidirectional associations have been shown between alcohol use and the stability of romantic relationships, though little is known about the longitudinal association between risky alcohol use and romantic relationships in college and about college students' perceived stress regarding one's love life. Objectives: The present study aims to explore these relationships both cross-sectionally and at one-year follow-up. METHOD: Data were drawn, from the French portion of the World Mental Health International College Student Survey initiative (WMH-ICS). First-year college students who completed an online survey (n = 1,624) and a second survey at one-year follow-up (n = 727) were included. Current romantic relationship status and stress regarding one's love life, past-year risky alcohol use, lifetime presence of DSM-5 mental health disorders and sociodemographic correlates were assessed. RESULTS: Risky alcohol use was cross-sectionally associated with dating in multivariate models adjusting for lifetime mental disorders (aOR = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.31-2.20), and in particular with unsteady relationships (aOR = 2.87, 95%CI = 2.01-4.10), but was no longer associated with both one year later. Risky alcohol use was, however, not associated with severe perceived stress regarding one's love life in multivariate models adjusting for lifetime mental disorders in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, while it was associated in bivariate models for both analyses. CONCLUSIONS: These findings extend our understanding of the association between excessive drinking and romantic relationship patterns among college students underlying the importance of comorbid disorders.Read less <
English Keywords
Risky alcohol use
Alcohol
College students
Perceived stress
Romantic relationships
Substance use