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The Impact of Quarantine and Substance Use on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study on Emerging Adults

Reinhardt, Madeleine
http://orcid.org/0009-0001-7727-4259
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1689260788810093

Abstract Details

2023, Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, College of Sciences and Health Professions.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a collective trauma that caused profound disruptions in day-to-day life and negatively impacted the psychological well-being of many emerging adults. Existing research shows that experiencing quarantine due to disease exposure or illness exacerbates psychological distress, particularly among people with existing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (Solomon et al., 2021). Research points to problematic alcohol and other substance use as a mechanism in the development and maintenance of PTSD (Tripp et al., 2020). However, alcohol and other substance use has yet to be implicated in the exacerbation of PTSD symptoms among emerging adults in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study attempts to address these gaps in the scientific literature. It was hypothesized that A) pre-pandemic PTSD symptoms will positively associate with PTSD symptoms measured during the pandemic, B) problematic alcohol and other substance use will mediate the relationship between pre-pandemic PTSD symptoms and PTSD symptoms during the pandemic, and C) emerging adults who experience quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure or illness will report elevated symptoms of PTSD relative to those who did not. Participants (N=39) from the first wave of the study completed measures for the second wave of the study via an online survey between December 2021 and March 2022. Participants reported on their symptoms of psychological distress, use of alcohol and other substances, and quarantine experience. As expected, symptoms of PTSD at wave 1 predicted symptoms of PTSD at wave 2. However, no mediating effects of problematic alcohol or other substance use on the association between PTSD symptoms at waves 1 and 2 were detected. Similarly, quarantine experience was not found to moderate the relationship between PTSD symptoms at waves 1 and 2. These results suggest that symptoms of PTSD among young adults worsened under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there was no evidence that problematic alcohol or other substance use explains this association. Additionally, PTSD symptoms were not found to differ as a function of quarantine experience. These results implicate emerging adults as a population of focus for prevention work and treatment of PTSD associated with global health disasters.
Elizabeth Goncy (Advisor)
Kathleen Reardon (Committee Member)
Ilya Yaroslavsky (Committee Member)
Psychology; Public Health
PTSD; posttraumatic stress disorder; substance use; alcohol use; emerging adulthood; COVID-19; quarantine; trauma; health disasters; psychological distress

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Reinhardt, M. (2023). The Impact of Quarantine and Substance Use on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study on Emerging Adults [Master's thesis, Cleveland State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1689260788810093

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Reinhardt, Madeleine. The Impact of Quarantine and Substance Use on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study on Emerging Adults. 2023. Cleveland State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1689260788810093.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Reinhardt, Madeleine. "The Impact of Quarantine and Substance Use on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study on Emerging Adults." Master's thesis, Cleveland State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1689260788810093

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Cleveland State University and OhioLINK.