College Binge Drinking and Its Association with Depression and Anxiety: A Prospective Observational Study.
OBJECTIVE
Binge drinking is a significant public health problem across college campuses in the United States. Despite substantial research and the use of evidence-based methods, the binge drinking culture remains an obstinate health crisis on campuses. This study examined the current binge drinking rate on a selected college campus, the association between binge drinking and anxiety and depression as well as the associated consequences of students' alcohol use.


METHODS
A sample of 201 students from a small, private Mid-Atlantic college completed validated scales as well as demographics and questionnaires. Primary outcome measures were the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, 7-item Generalised Anxiety Questionnaire, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Secondary measures were the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire, questionnaires, and demographics. Descriptive outcomes, frequencies and percentages, and separate Chi-square tests methodologies were utilised for analyses.


RESULTS
According to the AUDIT, 93% of students engaged in hazardous drinking, with a binge drinking rate of 38.8%. No significant associations were found between hazardous drinking and depression (p = 0.20) or anxiety (p = 0.68) levels in students. A significant relationship was found between their amount of drinking and negative consequences (p < 0.001). A substantial number of students reported moderate and severe levels of anxiety and depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Our student sample engaged in binge drinking, suffered negative consequences, and presented with anxiety and depression issues along with gender implications as females had higher rates of depression and anxiety. Males drank significantly more and binged more often than females. The majority of students who binged experienced memory loss. Both females and males reported taking foolish risks and being impulsive when drinking. Students are vulnerable to harmful consequences when binging and have poor insight regarding binge drinking.
['Nourse|R|R|', 'Adamshick|P|P|', 'Stoltzfus|J|J|']
D000067292:Alcohol Drinking in College D001007:Anxiety D063425:Binge Drinking D015897:Comorbidity D003863:Depression D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007175:Impulsive Behavior D008297:Male D008569:Memory Disorders D009511:New England D011446:Prospective Studies D012309:Risk-Taking D012737:Sex Factors D055815:Young Adult
Binge drinking Depression Anxiety Alcohol drinking