Differential impacts of perceived social support on alcohol and cannabis use in young adults: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns provided a unique opportunity to examine how changes in the social environment impact mental health and wellbeing. We addressed this issue by assessing how perceived social support across COVID-19 restrictions alters alcohol and cannabis use in emerging adults, a population vulnerable to adverse outcomes of substance use. Four hundred sixty-three young adults in Canada and the United States completed online questionnaires for three retrospective timepoints: Pre-Covid, Lockdown and Eased Restrictions. Sociodemographic factors, perceived social support, and substance use were assessed. Overall, alcohol use decreased while cannabis use increased during Lockdown. Interestingly, social support negatively predicted alcohol use and positively predicted cannabis use during Lockdown. These findings suggest a difference in motives underlying alcohol and cannabis use in emerging adults. Importantly, these changes were not sustained when restrictions eased, suggesting that emerging adults exhibit resiliency to the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on substance use.