Drinking Among College Student Athletes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In this study, researchers investigated demographics, sport types, athletic identities, and the COVID-19 sport season cancellation in relation to alcohol consumption among college student athletes shortly after the pandemic emerged. Researchers collected survey data from 5,915 college student athletes in April and May 2020. Survey results showed that being female, Latinx, and in a relationship were associated with lower levels of alcohol consumption. Among males, team sport participation was related to greater levels of alcohol consumption. Among females, athletic identity was inversely related to drinking, which was moderated by sport type, such that alcohol consumption was lower as athletic identity strengthened in individual (vs. team) sport athletes. There was no relationship between COVID-19 sport season cancellation and alcohol consumption. The researchers suggested that these gender-specific findings could inform strategies for alcohol consumption education among college team sport athletes.
This paper, “Drinking among college student athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic,” was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and published in the Journal of American college health.
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