Michalina, Francisco Joaquín^a; Marcos, Santiago^a; Corsi, Gonzalo^a; Araujo Añon, Lara Candela^a; Buján, Gustavo Ezequiel^b; Serra, Héctor Alejandro^b, Guelman, Laura Ruth^a,b; Molina, Sonia Jazmín*^a

^a Universidad de Buenos Aires. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO, UBA-CONICET). Buenos Aires, Argentina.

^b Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

molinasonia.j@gmail.com

Introduction: College students (CS), as emerging adults, undergo significant lifestyle changes and may experience increased stress levels, which can contribute to the initiation and escalation of alcohol consumption (AC). Conversely, maintaining a healthy lifestyle has been associated with lower stress levels and reduced AC.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the AC patterns in CS and assess how stress and lifestyle impact their drinking habits.

Methods: Argentinean CS (N= 613; 79.8% women; Mean age= 22.57 ± 3.03) completed an online survey that assessed the amount and frequency of AC. In addition, CS answered to the RLCQ, PSS, and HPLP-II questionnaires to assess recent life changes, perceived stress and lifestyle.

Results: Results showed a usual consumption of 3.52 ± 0.13 and 3.91 ± 0.25 standard drink units (SD) per occasion and 11.42 ± 0.77 and 16.39 ± 1.82 SD per month, for women and men respectively. Furthermore, men consumed alcohol more frequently than women. However, a higher percentage of women had heavy episodic drinking. Regression analysis showed that lifestyle explains 2% (women) and 10% (men) of the variance of SD consumption per occasion, and the presence of recent life changes explained 2% (women) and 12% (men) of the variance of SD monthly consumption.

Discussion: In conclusion, this study highlights the high prevalence of AC among CS, raising concerns due to its associated negative consequences. Additionally, factors such as adopting a healthy lifestyle may help prevent excessive AC per occasion, while major life changes can contribute to an increase in monthly consumption. No significant influence of perceived stress on AC was found. Therefore, given the major life changes experienced by CS, it is crucial to address and prevent harmful behaviors like increased AC. Encouraging the maintenance of healthy habits can serve as a significant preventive strategy.

Keywords: college students, alcohol, stress, lifestyle