Substance use, sexual behavior, and general well-being of U.S. college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a brief report
Abstract
This study gathered preliminary data on the impact of the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic on the substance use, sexual behavior, and general well-being of U.S. college students. Participants from colleges across the U.S. (N = 212; 50.5% female; M age = 22.09) completed an online survey between May 20th and July 5th, 2020 about COVID-19-related behavior change. Most students reported a decrease in quality of life (71.7%), an increase in levels of anxiety (63.7%), and problems with basic resource needs (53.8%). Reports of alcohol consumption increased for 26.9% of students and 15.1% reported an increase in cannabis use. Most students (57.5%) reported a decrease in sexual activity, yet access to, and use of, condoms generally remained unchanged. As universities resume residential instruction, existing prevention and intervention services will need to be adapted to address the mental and behavioral health needs of college students during the era of COVID-19.
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In recent years, social distancing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 impacted college student substance use and treatment access.
“In recent years, social distancing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have impacted college student substance use and treatment access.”
From The substance use disorder treatment gap among US college students: Findings from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2024) · cites this paper as Firkey et al., 2022
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- Authors
- Firkey, M. K., Sheinfil, A. Z., & Woolf-King, S. E.
- Affiliations
- Syracuse University (US)
- Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
- Corresponding author
- Firkey, Madison K.
- Venue
- Journal of American College Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2021-02-12
- Volume
- 70
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 2270-2275
- ISSN
- 0164-4300 (ISSN-L)
- 0744-8481
- 1940-3208
- OpenAlex
- W3128386009
- Cited by
- 122
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 12
- FWCI
- 16.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of American College Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Lifestyle Studies
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, university students, substance use, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, sexual behavior, condom use, anxiety, quality of life, student mental health
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Quality of Life, Sexual Behavior, Students, Universities, Substance-Related Disorders, Young Adult, Pandemics
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