@article{Merlo_A-2021_43801,
title = {Mood and changes in alcohol consumption in young adults during covid-19 lockdown: a model explaining associations with perceived immune fitness and experiencing covid-19 symptoms},
author = {Merlo, A. and Severeijns, N. and Benson, S. and Scholey, A. and Garssen, J. and Bruce, G. and Verster, J.},
month = {sep},
year = {2021},
abstract = {The aim of this study was to explore the effects of the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown on mood states, stress, alcohol consumption and perceived immune fitness in a Dutch sample. Analysis included a subsample from the “Corona Lockdown: how fit are you?” (CLOFIT) study, comprising N = 761 participants who reported consuming alcohol in 2020. Results show that, compared to pre-lockdown, the first COVID-19 lockdown (March 2020) was associated with experiencing poorer mood (e.g., anxiety, depression, loneliness, fatigue) and increased stress levels. Among younger participants (18 to 35 years old), a significant decrease in weekly alcohol consumption was found during COVID-19 lockdown, which was not significant in older individuals. For the younger age cohort (18 to 35 years old), increased stress significantly correlated to increased weekly alcohol consumption (r = 0.163, p = 0.003), which in turn, correlated significantly to reporting a poorer perceived immune fitness (r = −0.165, p = 0.002). Poorer perceived immune fitness correlated significantly with increases in the presence and severity of COVID-19 symptoms (r = −0.313, p &lt; 0.001, and r = −0.325, p &lt; 0.001, respectively). The data provides evidence for significant relationships between changes in mood, stress and alcohol consumption during COVID-19 lockdown, and supports a model that links these changes to perceived immune fitness and susceptibility to experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.},
volume = {18},
issue = {19},
journal = {International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health},
publisher = {MDPI},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910028},
}
