Increase in depression and anxiety, but reduction in alcohol-related harm for young Australians during COVID-19
Jun 18, 2021
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), at UNSW Sydney, has recently published an article titled “Increase in depression and anxiety, but reduction in alcohol-related harm for young Australians during COVID-19”.
The research used data from the Australian Parental Supply of Alcohol Longitudinal Study (APSALS). The researchers found that young people generally have low engagement with mental health treatment, often self-reliant in coping with mental health challenges.
The researchers also found that alcohol use among young people during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased by 17%, with alcohol-related harm decreasing by 34%. This is most likely related to young people often consuming alcohol outside the home environment. COVID-19 restrictions limited how much time young people spent outside of the home during lockdown periods, which then led to decreases in alcohol use and harm.