In its very early phases, COVID-19 shifts the associations between alcohol consumption and psychological symptoms in young adults

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted various aspects of daily life, leading to increased psychological symptoms and changes in alcohol use, yet little is known about their specific interactions, particularly early stages during the pandemic. We examined the relationship between psychological symptoms and alcohol-related behaviors associated with COVID-19, and determined whether associations shifted already early during the pandemic and whether changes in psychological symptoms from the pre-to during COVID-19 impacted changes in alcohol consumption. Methods. Participants were young adults from a longitudinal cohort (N=435, age: 22-25) from two time points. We applied paired samples t-tests, correlation analyses, SHapley Additive exPlanations, and classification models to examine the multiple associations between psychological symptoms and alcohol use directly pre-and early during COVID-19. Results. We found significant associations between psychological symptoms and alcohol use pre-compared to during COVID-19. Anxiety was the strongest factor influencing alcohol use pre-pandemic, depression had the greatest impact during COVID-19. Changes in anxiety from pre-to during COVID-19 were the main factor associated with an increase in alcohol use, while changes in depression appeared to be most predictive for a decrease/persistence in alcohol use.