Perceived COVID-19 Threat, Psychological Distress, and Increases in Alcohol and Cannabis Use at the Onset of the Pandemic in Racially Diverse Emerging Adults

Abstract

We examined the associations among perceived Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat, psychological distress, and perceived increases in alcohol and cannabis use since the onset of the pandemic in a sample of 1,339 Asian, Black, and White emerging adults (18–25 years). We investigated how these relationships changed based on sex assigned at birth, political affiliation, race, and college student status. Correlation analyses demonstrated a significant positive relationship between perceived COVID-19 threat and psychological distress, as well as a significant positive relationship between perceived COVID-19 threat and perceived increases in alcohol use for emerging adults. Multi-group analyses revealed that Black emerging adults displayed the strongest association between perceived COVID-19 threat and perceived increases in alcohol use whereas college students displayed a stronger association between perceived COVID-19 threat and psychological distress than emerging adults not attending college.