The bond an individual had with their caregivers in childhood can influence their mental health in adulthood. A body of literature suggests that parental bonding is believed to have significant...Show moreThe bond an individual had with their caregivers in childhood can influence their mental health in adulthood. A body of literature suggests that parental bonding is believed to have significant influence on the possible development of various psychopathologies, such as alcohol use and loneliness. This study examined the influence of parental bonding on alcohol use and loneliness. The participants of this study were part of the longitudinal NESDA study (N = 1685). Parental bonding, specifically care and overprotection, was measured with the parental bonding instrument (PBI). Two mediation analyses were run: parental care and overprotection were expected to predict alcohol use, mediated by loneliness. To control for confounders, depression and anxiety symptoms were included as covariates. The results demonstrated that both low parental care and high overprotection predict loneliness. However, loneliness was not associated with alcohol use and did not mediate the relationship between parental bonding and alcohol consumption. Surprisingly, low overprotection was associated with higher alcohol use. Meanwhile, parental care was not significantly related to alcohol consumption. This study offers new insights to the relationship between parental bonding and alcohol use. Demonstrating that low parental overprotection does predict alcohol use while parental care does not. Further research should take sociability of participants and gender differences into account.Show less
Background: Poor parental bonding experiences have been associated with the development of hazardous alcohol use. University students are a group especially at risk to engage in risky drinking...Show moreBackground: Poor parental bonding experiences have been associated with the development of hazardous alcohol use. University students are a group especially at risk to engage in risky drinking patterns. In this study, the mediational role of anxiety on the relationship between parental bonding and alcohol use in university students was investigated. Methods: University students (N=213) completed an online survey measuring their parental bonding style (affectionate constraint, affectionless control, optimal parenting, and neglectful parenting) using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Moreover, anxiety symptoms were measured with the Becks Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and level of alcohol use was measured with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Results: Parental bonding significantly predicted anxiety, indicating that an optimal parental bond was negatively related to anxiety symptoms. No significant association between parental bonding and alcohol use was found. Besides that, anxiety and alcohol use showed no significant association. Moreover, no significant mediation effect of anxiety on the relationship between parental bonding and alcohol use was found. Conclusions: The current study highlights the risk of poor parenting for the possible development of anxiety. The knowledge gained by this study is relevant to the issue of preventing possible negative psychological effects of poor parental bonding styles.Show less
Background: The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic led to uncertainty, stress, significant losses, and concern for physical and mental health. University students are a vulnerable subgroup affected by the...Show moreBackground: The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic led to uncertainty, stress, significant losses, and concern for physical and mental health. University students are a vulnerable subgroup affected by the outbreak. It has adversely affected their academic and social lives. Previous findings indicate heightened anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. Negative coping strategies such as alcohol consumption were used to overcome the effects of pandemic fear. The aim of the study is to investigate the link between pandemic fear and negative mental health issues, and alcohol use. Methods: The study had a cross-sectional design, involving 139 university students. Online self-report measures were used to assess pandemic fear, alcohol use, depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. The covariates age, gender, and educational level were controlled for in the statistical analyses. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between pandemic fear and depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Moderated regression was used to examine the moderating effect of alcohol use on the above-mentioned link. Bonferroni correction was used to adjust alpha levels. Results: Pandemic fear was positively linked with depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms among university students. However, although alcohol use might be used as a negative coping strategy, its moderating role on the link between pandemic fear and mental health outcomes was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Overall, as pandemic fear increased, mental health issues increased in university students. Future studies with longitudinal design and larger statistical power that considers other covariates, and has measures other than self-report might be more reliable in evaluating this further.Show less
Once transitioning to University, students have elevated levels of both alcohol consumption and loneliness compared to the rest of the population. Additionally, after the outbreak of Covid-19 in...Show moreOnce transitioning to University, students have elevated levels of both alcohol consumption and loneliness compared to the rest of the population. Additionally, after the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, the total population experienced higher loneliness and some were more likely to cope with alcohol. This study examined the associations between Covid-19-related fear, loneliness, alcohol use, and the protective role of virtual communication on loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic. 141 students from Leiden University in the Netherlands reported their levels of Covid-19-related fear, loneliness, quantity and motives of alcohol consumption, and extent of virtual communication through self-report. Fear of the virus was not associated with loneliness or problematic alcohol consumption, but higher loneliness was associated with reduced drinking. Students that kept more contact with loved ones via digital media experienced lower loneliness. Generally, significant differences emerged between Dutch and international students, the latter of which scored worse on most outcomes. In conclusion, this study’s results suggest that students’ alcohol consumption is high yet differs from adult drinking behaviour in that it has an underlying social, not coping, motive. Moreover, international students seem to be particularly vulnerable suggesting the need for an improved care system. Altogether, the results identified important outlets for future research exploring social components underlying students’ alcohol consumption and the gap between international and native students. Further research may address the protective effect of virtual communication to potentially reduce loneliness in students as well as in the general population during exceptional circumstances like a pandemic.Show less
