Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jun 22:13:933814.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.933814. eCollection 2022.

Alcohol Use and Misuse Among Chinese Psychiatrists During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic

Daming Mo  1   2   3 , Kaiyuan Min  4 , Rachel Gluck  5 , Feng Jiang  6   7 , Rui Tao  3 , Feng Geng  8 , Lei Xia  1   2 , Tingfang Liu  9 , Yuanli Liu  9 , Huanzhong Liu  1   2 , Yi-Lang Tang  5   10
Affiliations

Alcohol Use and Misuse Among Chinese Psychiatrists During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic

Daming Mo et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Aim: Survey alcohol use and misuse among Chinese psychiatrists during the Coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: We conducted a large-scale, nationwide online survey of psychiatrists regarding their alcohol use during the pandemic. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Concise (AUDIT-C) was used to assess alcohol use and misuse.

Results: Of 3,815 psychiatrists who completed the survey, alcohol use and misus were 47.5% and 8.2%, respectively, and both were significantly higher in males. The majority (59%) reported no change in alcohol use during the pandemic, one-third (34.5%) reported a decrease, and 6.5% reported an increase. Alcohol misuse was associated with middle-age (OR = 1.418), male sex (OR = 5.089), Northeast China (OR = 1.507), cigarette-smoking (OR = 2.335), insomnia (OR = 1.660), and regular exercise (OR = 1.488). A master's degree (OR = 0.714) and confidence in clinical work (OR = 0.610) were associated with less alcohol misuse. Those who reported a decrease in alcohol use during the pandemic were more likely to be male (OR = 2.011), located in Northeast China (OR = 1.994), and feel confident in their clinical work (OR = 1.624). Increased alcohol use was significantly associated with insomnia (OR = 3.139).

Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol use and misuse among Chinese psychiatrists declined. While males were more likely to misuse alcohol, they were also more likely to have reduced their intake. Age, location, and lifestyle factors also predicted alcohol use and misuse. Further examination of specific factors that reduced alcohol use and misuse may help guide public health efforts to sustain the lower rates beyond the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; alcohol misuse; alcohol use; alcohol use disorder; psychiatrists.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

    1. Rehm J, Anderson P, Barry J, Dimitrov P, Elekes Z, Feijao F, et al. . Prevalence of and potential influencing factors for alcohol dependence in Europe. Eur Addict Res. (2015) 21:6–18. 10.1159/000365284 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Choi NG, DiNitto DM. Adverse childhood experience and lifetime mental and substance use disoeders among older adults. Innov Aging. (2017) 1:1148. 10.1093/geroni/igx004.4192 - DOI
    1. Tang YL, Xiang XJ, Wang XY, Cubells JF, Babor TF, Hao W. Alcohol and alcohol-related harm in China: policy changes needed. Bull World Health Organ. (2013) 91:270–6. 10.2471/BLT.12.107318 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rizer C, Lusk M. Screening and initial management of alcohol misuse in primary care. J Nurse Pract. (2017) 13:660–6.e1. 10.1016/j.nurpra.2017.08.011 - DOI
    1. Joos L, Glazemakers I, Dom G. Alcohol use and hazardous drinking among medical specialists. Eur Addict Res. (2013) 19:89–97. 10.1159/000341993 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources