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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Addictive Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1487277

Treatment Access Gap During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on Problematic Alcohol Use and the Moderating Roles of Perceived Stress and Resilience

Provisionally accepted
Rhianna R. Vergeer Rhianna R. Vergeer Jeremy W. Luk Jeremy W. Luk *Bethany Stangl Bethany Stangl Emma M. Mccabe Emma M. Mccabe Ugne Ziausyte Ugne Ziausyte Melanie L. Schwandt Melanie L. Schwandt David Goldman David Goldman Vijay A. Ramchandani Vijay A. Ramchandani *Nancy Diazgranados Nancy Diazgranados
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic may have interfered with individuals’ access to alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment, but limited research has documented the impact of treatment interference on drinking behavior. This study’s purpose was to examine the associations of AUD treatment interference with problematic alcohol use, and the moderating role of perceived stress and resilience. Method: A cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were drawn from the baseline assessment of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Alcohol Study. Between June 2020 and March 2021, 288 participants (48.6% female, 51.4% male) responded to key measures of interest by phone and/or through an online survey. Study hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics (age, sex, race, ethnicity, years of education, household income, marital status), study enrollment phase, and history of AUD. Results: Self-reported AUD treatment interference was positively associated with problematic alcohol use as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (b = 2.05, p < 0.001). Significant moderation effects indicated the association between AUD treatment interference and problematic alcohol use was stronger at a high level of perceived stress (b = 3.08, p < 0.001) and was attenuated at a high level of resilience (b = -0.13, p = 0.874). Conclusions: Self-reported AUD treatment interference may indicate interruption to individuals’ support systems and highlight the need for continued access to intervention. Fostering positive coping strategies and resilience may help individuals mitigate risks of problematic drinking amidst a public health crisis.

    Keywords: alcohol use, resilience, stress, COVID-19, access, barriers, treatment utilization, psychological treatment

    Received: 27 Aug 2024; Accepted: 29 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Vergeer, Luk, Stangl, Mccabe, Ziausyte, Schwandt, Goldman, Ramchandani and Diazgranados. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jeremy W. Luk, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH), Bethesda, 20892-9304, Maryland, United States
    Vijay A. Ramchandani, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH), Bethesda, 20892-9304, Maryland, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.