Transition to Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact of Changes in Alcohol Consumption and Experiencing Hangovers on Academic Functioning

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Alcohol Consumption, Hangovers and Smoking Among Young Adults (n = 140) in Germany: An On-Line Study

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the impact of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns on alcohol consumption and smoking behavior among young adults from Germany.

METHODS

An online survey was completed by N = 317 young adults living in Germany. Of these, 140 (44.2%) consumed alcohol and were included in the analysis. They reported on alcohol consumption, hangover frequency and severity, and smoking behavior across four time periods: (1) "BP" (the period before the COVID-19 pandemic), (2) "L1" (the first lockdown; March-May, 2020), (3), NL1 (the no lock-down period; summer 2020), and (4) L2 (the second lockdown, November 2020 to May 2021).

RESULTS

During L1, a significant decrease was observed in weekly alcohol intake, the number of drinking days, and the number of days where more than eight alcoholic drinks were consumed. Whereas hangover frequency was significantly increased during L1, hangover severity was significantly reduced. During NL1, drinking behaviors returned to BP levels. During L2, the decrease in alcohol consumption was much smaller, and not significantly different from BP. However, compared to BP, during L2 hangover frequency was significantly increased and hangover severity was significantly reduced. With regards to smoking, no significant differences compared to BP were found.

CONCLUSIONS

During the COVID-19 lockdown periods in Germany, a significant decrease in alcohol consumption was observed among this group of young adults. Whereas hangover frequency was significantly increased during the lockdown periods, hangover severity was significantly reduced.

Lifestyles and their association with stress and sleep during the COVID-19 lockdown in students

AIM/QUESTION

To assess lifestyle changes during Covid-19 lockdown and how they are associated with mental health through stress and sleep of university students in health sciences.

METHODS

Cross-sectional design with a descriptive analysis of lifestyles and multivariate logistic regression to determine their association with stress, insomnia and perceived health were carried out.

RESULTS

Most of 153 students were not active smokers, but the rate of not consumer was less than 20%. The multivariate models showed the influence of stress, insomnia and self-perceived health on each other, with the participation of factors related with diet pattern and alcohol consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

It is widely known that insomnia increases with stress; in our study it is also negatively influenced and, therefore, in a healthy way, by adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which is consistent with the results described by other authors. These results are important for organizing mental Health care for young students, as well as for young people from vulnerable populations where it is foreseeable that the effects derived from lifestyles on the stress- insomnia-health axis will be magnified.

Investigating the effects of emotion dysregulation and repetitive negative thinking on alcohol hangover anxiety and depression

INTRODUCTION

Underlying factors associated with alcohol hangover psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, have not been identified. Emotion dysregulation and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) are transdiagnostic factors associated with psychopathology, including non-hangover anxiety and depression. The current study prospectively examined the role of emotion dysregulation on subsequent alcohol hangover anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as the moderating role of RNT on this relation among university students.

METHODS

One hundred thirty-six participants completed baseline assessments of emotion dysregulation (DERS-16) and non-hangover anxiety and depression (DASS-21). Thirty-nine participants reported experiencing alcohol hangover at 2-week follow up and completed assessments of RNT (PTQ) and hangover anxiety and depression (modified DASS-21). Two independent regression-based moderation analyses were conducted to examine the relation of baseline emotion dysregulation, 2-week follow-up RNT, and hangover anxiety and depression symptoms after accounting for baseline non-hangover anxiety and depression symptoms.

RESULTS

Among those experiencing alcohol hangover (n = 39), emotion dysregulation and RNT were not associated with hangover related anxiety beyond non-hangover anxiety. Emotion dysregulation significantly predicted hangover depression but was rendered non-significant by the addition of RNT, which was significantly associated with hangover depression. RNT moderated the emotion dysregulation-hangover depression relation such that emotion dysregulation was not associated with future hangover depression at low levels of RNT but was positively associated with hangover depression at moderate to high levels of RNT.

CONCLUSION

Results provide preliminary support for the role of emotion dysregulation and RNT in hangover depression severity.

Emotion Regulation and Mood during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant negative impact on health, mood, and well-being [...].

A survey on big data-enabled innovative online education systems during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the spread of COVID-19 around the world, the education industry faces enormous challenges. Some colleges and universities have launched online teaching. Comprehensive online teaching and student health checkups help students complete the set teaching content and return to school as soon as possible. With the development of big data, combined with the epidemic risk we are facing, the rational use of big data and the internet for innovative online education has become a mainstream teaching method. Colleges and universities are not yet familiar with the development prospects and future of online education. Through the research of this paper, we can understand the combination of online education and the development of big data and promote its application in colleges and universities. Not only have innovative online education platforms such as MOOC and DingTalk been widely used, but innovative online education methods such as virtual classrooms also have been created. Based on the current epidemic background, this paper analyzes the development of online education, introduces the impact of the combination of online education and big data, and introduces innovative online education technologies and their effects. It helps online education under the influence of the new coronavirus epidemic, operating big data technology to analyze the current prospects and development of online education, showing the combination of big data technology and online education through the analysis of big data technology, and ending with more expectations on other aspects of the use of big data, which affects the online education industry as well as other industries. Finally, we summarize the combination of big data and innovative online education since the emergence of COVID-19 and introduce the concepts and methods of combining online education and big data technology in detail. The online education platform also makes a reasonable introduction. The thesis can be used to understand the problems and challenges faced by innovative online education in the context of the new coronavirus epidemic and look forward to the future on this basis.

The COLIBAS Study—COVID-19 Lockdown Effects on Mood, Academic Functioning, Alcohol Consumption, and Perceived Immune Fitness: Data from Buenos Aires University Students

A recent study was conducted in the Netherlands to evaluate the impact of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated lockdown periods on academic functioning, mood, and health correlates such as alcohol consumption. The study revealed that lockdowns were associated with a significantly poorer mood and a reduced perceived immune fitness. Overall, a reduction was seen in alcohol consumption during the lockdown periods. Academic functioning in terms of performance was unaffected; however, a significant reduction in interactions with other students and teachers was reported. There was, however, great variability between students as follows: both an increase and a reduction in alcohol consumption were reported, as well as improvements and poorer academic functioning. The aim of the current online study was to replicate these findings in Argentina. To this extent, a modified version of the survey was conducted among students at the University of Buenos Aires, which was adapted to the local lockdown measures. The survey assessed possible changes in self-reported academic functioning, mood, and health correlates, such as alcohol consumption, perceived immune functioning, and sleep quality compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrospective assessments were made for four periods, including (1) the period before COVID-19, (2) the first lockdown period (March–December 2020), (3) summer 2021 (January-March 2021, no lockdown), and (4) the second lockdown (from April 2021 to July 2021). This article describes the content of the survey and the corresponding dataset. The survey was completed by 508 participants.

COVID-19 Lockdown Effects on Mood, Alcohol Consumption, Academic Functioning, and Perceived Immune Fitness: Data from Young Adults in Germany

Recently, a study was conducted in the Netherlands to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated lockdown periods on academic functioning, mood, and health correlates, such as alcohol consumption. The Dutch study revealed that lockdowns were associated with significantly poorer mood and reductions in perceived immune fitness. Overall, a reduction in alcohol consumption during lockdown periods was shown. Academic functioning in terms of self-reported performance was unaffected. However, a significant reduction in interactions with other students and teachers was reported. However, there was considerable variability among students; both increases and reductions in alcohol consumption were reported, as well as both improvements and poorer academic functioning during periods of lockdown. The aim of the current online study was to replicate these findings in Germany. To achieve this, a slightly modified version of the survey was administered among young adults (aged 18 to 35 years old) in Germany. The survey assessed possible changes in self-reported academic functioning, mood, and health correlates, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, perceived immune functioning, and sleep quality during periods of lockdown as compared to periods with no lockdowns. Retrospective assessments were made for five periods, including (1) ‘BP’ (the period before the COVID-19 pandemic), (2) ‘L1’ (the first lockdown period, March–May 2020), (3) ‘NL1’ (the first no-lockdown period, summer 2020), (4) ‘L2’ (the second lockdown, November 2020 to May 2021), and (5) ‘NL2’ (the second no-lockdown period, summer 2021). This article describes the content of the survey and the corresponding dataset. The survey was completed by 371 participants.

Alcohol Consumption on the Heaviest Drinking Occasion and Hangovers during the First Dutch COVID-19 Lockdown

The purpose of this study was to compare alcohol consumption between the heaviest drinking occasion in the period before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown (15 January-14 March 2020) and the first COVID-19 lockdown period (15 March-11 May 2020) in the Netherlands, including the presence and severity of associated hangovers. The analysis included a sub-sample from the "Corona Lockdown: how fit are you?" (CLOFIT) study, comprising N = 761 participants who reported consuming alcohol in 2020. Overall, on the heaviest drinking occasion during the first COVID-19 lockdown period a significant reduction in number of alcoholic drinks consumed on the heaviest drinking occasion, drinking duration, and estimated BAC was observed. A significant reduction was also observed for subjective intoxication and next-day hangover severity. During the lockdown period, a significant reduction in the frequency of alcohol hangovers was reported. Several age and sex differences were observed. Specifically, men consumed significantly more alcohol than women and experienced hangovers significantly more frequently, both before and during the lockdown. With regard to age, young adults (18-35 years old) significantly reduced their alcohol intake on the heaviest drinking occasion during the lockdown and also reported lower ratings of subjective intoxication and hangover severity. No significant changes were seen for individuals above 35 years old. In conclusion, the first COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands was associated with reduced alcohol intake on the heaviest drinking occasion and a reduction in the severity of hangovers, particularly among young male adults.