How the Pandemic Has Affected Minority Youth Substance Use

This article was written by Terrell Hicks with support from Dr. Danielle Dick following the publication of their manuscript, "Divergent changes: abstinence and higher-frequency substance use increase among racial/ethnic minority young adults during the COVID-19 global pandemic" in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Young adults who identify as racial and ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The protests, riots, and police brutality that happened during the Black Lives Matter movement, at the same time that the coronavirus pandemic was raging, created even more stress for racial and ethnic minority students. This has led to increased mental and physical health problems in minority youth (Purtle, 2020). However, not everyone responds in the same way to stress.

A new study just out this month in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse found that the pandemic affects racial and ethnic minority college students in surprisingly different ways. Some students are drinking, using marijuana, and smoking cigarettes or vaping even less than usual, whereas the heaviest drinkers and more frequent marijuana users and cigarette smokers or vapers actually increased their use.

What contributes to which kids increase substance use and which kids decrease? Students that were more impulsive reported drinking more alcohol and using marijuana more often. Students that were more distressed because of the pandemic also reported using marijuana more frequently, and students that were more anxious reported using cigarettes or vaping more often. Surprisingly, students that were more depressed actually decreased their use of cigarettes or vapes, possibly because of disengagement from their peers and usual routines.

Most students experienced a change in their living situation when campuses closed their doors to students living on campus to help enforce social distancing. In many cases, students moved back home with their parents, which was strongly associated with decreases in alcohol and marijuana use during the pandemic. Some students were able to find benefits in the “slowed down” pace of life during the pandemic. For example, some young adults may have enjoyed more time to rest, spend time with family, pursue new hobbies or skills, and reflected on their lives. Students with a more positive perspective of the pandemic used less marijuana.

But moving home also came with losses in social support for some students, such as Greek life, therapy/counseling, student organizations, and running into your friends in class or around campus. Students who reported that their social lives were disrupted when they were sent home were more likely to report increases in marijuana use.

Students that identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community used marijuana more often during the pandemic. Boredom, isolation, and loneliness were likely experienced by many students during the pandemic. However, LGBTQ+ students also face additional challenges, including increased stress from social prejudice and discrimination, as well as possible family rejection due to their sexuality or gender identity, which can play a role in using alcohol and drugs to try to manage the stress.

Students that identified as cisgender males, defined as people who were assigned male at birth and who identify as male, smoked cigarettes or vaped more often, but actually drank alcohol less. The decrease in alcohol use among cisgender male students could be due to less access from friends or the lack of college parties. Nicotine products are available to be purchased by students aged 18 or older, which is one potential reason why nicotine use increased even while alcohol decreased.

So what do we do with these findings? There are alternatives to drinking and using drugs that can help people connect and live a healthy lifestyle, even during times of increased life stressors. One of the many challenges contributing to alcohol and substance use during the coronavirus pandemic has been seeing and maintaining social contacts. Young adults should pick up their phone to hear a familiar voice, or make a video call to see to a familiar face. For minority youth that need more support in an area of their life, such as identifying as LGBTQ+ or struggling with mental health, help is out there.

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The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has a wealth of mental health resources. AFSP has put together a list of mental health resources for Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Native and Indigenous Peoples communities (https://afsp.org/mental-health-resources-for-underrepresented-communities). LGBTQ+ students who need support can connect by a phone call, text, or chat with trained counselors at The Trevor Project (https://www.thetrevorproject.org/). Seeking support can be a vulnerable process, but these resources are trying to make it simpler and safer for people in marginalized communities.

To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.

Terrell Hicks is a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University. His research focuses on understanding biological and environmental factors that influence the development of posttraumatic stress disorder and co-occurring problematic substance use, with the aim of translating these findings into culturally-sensitive prevention and secondary intervention programs.