Drinking behaviors by stress level in Korean university students

Associations between Gender, Alcohol Use and Negative Consequences among Korean College Students: A National Study

This study examines Korean college students’ rates and the severity of various negative consequences resulting from the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption and the unique factors that are affecting this problem in the Korean context in comparison to other countries. It assesses how much gender, age and other associated respondent characteristics mediate alcohol use and the resulting negative consequences among the population. A stratified representative sample of 4803 valid student respondents attending 82 colleges participated in the alcohol consumption survey, of which 95% reported drinking in past 12 months. Drinking is measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) screening tool. Based on this test, composite scores for each participant were computed and students were grouped into four risk groups: (a) nondrinkers, (b) light drinkers, (c) moderate drinkers and (d) heavy drinkers. Outcome measures include 21 validated items evaluating self-reported alcohol-related negative consequences. Rates of negative consequences are reported for each drinking risk group stratified by gender. Descriptive statistics, stepwise regression, multivariate linear regression and MANOVA tests were used to analyze the data. The study found that female respondents in the sample who consumed alcohol in the past 12 months drank 11.5 percent less than males (AUDIT-C score μ = 6.0 and 6.7, respectively), and there was a greater proportion of females (5.1 percent) who were nondrinkers than males (4.6 percent). Yet, when females drank, they experienced 11.8 percent more negative consequences on average than males (μ = 1.9 and 1.7, respectively). The study attempts to explain this apparent contradiction. The self-reported rates for many individual negative consequences also varied discernibly by gender. The study concludes with suggestions for how alcohol prevention on Korean college campuses would benefit from targeting females and males differently.

Patterns of Alcohol Consumption and Drinking Motives Among Korean Medical Students

BACKGROUND Physicians who have healthy lifestyles can provide quality healthcare to their patients and keep themselves healthy. There is little data on the prevalence of drinking behaviors and problems among East Asian medical students. Here, we explored alcohol use and drinking motives among medical students in Korea. MATERIAL AND METHODS A questionnaire-based, multicenter, cross-sectional study was carried out in 323 students from 5 medical colleges in Korea between July and October 2016. We used the Korean version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire that included demographic characteristics, smoking status, consumption of alcohol, and drinking motives. RESULTS The mean AUDIT score was 9.8±7.5 for males and 6.3±5.4 for females. Heavy drinking (75.9%) and binge drinking (56.0%) were very high among Korean medical students. Female medical students drank as much as male students, and much more than other women. The probability that a student would be a binge drinker was 2.72 times higher for a smoker than a non-smoker. The scores for drinking frequency, alcohol intake at one time, heavy drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol dependence symptoms were highest in the group who had "enhancement drinking motives". CONCLUSIONS Heavy drinking and binge drinking are common among both male and female medical students in Korea and this behavior is associated with smoking and enhancement drinking motives. Medical schools should consider implementing effective interventions to prevent and reduce problem drinking among medical students.

Associations between Meal Companions and Obesity in South Korean Adults

Dinner, considered the main meal of the day, forms a large portion of an individual’s overall food intake. Therefore, having family dinners has a significant impact on peoples’ health. This study examined the relationship between meal companions and obesity among South Korean adults. Data from 23,494 participants, from the 2013–2017 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), were examined. Participants were divided into three categories: dinner with family, dinner with others, and dinner alone. Obesity was the dependent variable, using body mass index recommended by the KNHANES. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the target association. Compared to those that had family dinners, people who ate dinner with others or alone had a higher obesity risk (With Others: odds ratio (OR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04–1.36; Alone: OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.03–1.27). Participants who engaged in weekly heavy drinking were more likely to be obese than those who did not drink (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.19–1.51). Moreover, those who had dinner with others or alone were at higher risk of obesity regardless of their breakfast companion. Further, people who had daily meals outside of their homes had a higher risk of obesity than those who had dinner with others and those who had family dinners. Having family dinners poses a significantly lower risk of obesity compared to having dinners with others or alone, as shown by this investigation. By detailing the correlation between meal companions and obesity, this study could help motivate dieters to have more frequent family dinners.

Factors Associated with Single-Use and Co-Use of Tobacco and Alcohol: A Multinomial Modeling Approach

Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption are among the most important public health concerns not only in South Korea but also globally. This study identified the factors associated with single-use and co-use of tobacco and alcohol in Korean adults and provided more accurate estimates using a multinomial modeling approach. This study used the Korea Community Health Survey Data 2017, of which 205,336 respondents were selected as the sample for a multinomial logistic regression analysis. For the group that identified as only drinking monthly compared to the reference group, we found that the direction of the following factors was opposite to that of the results of the only currently smoking group: Age, marital status, educational level, monthly household income, occupation, obesity, self-rated health, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. For the currently smoking and drinking monthly group relative to the reference group, the overall direction was a mix of the results of only currently smoking and only drinking monthly. These findings support the development of policies that consider the risk of smoking tobacco and consuming alcohol simultaneously.

Short-Term Effects of a Multidimensional Stress Prevention Program on Quality of Life, Well-Being and Psychological Resources. A Randomized Controlled Trial

It is well-documented that university students have an increased risk in developing psychological problems because they face multiple stressors. Cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness-based stress prevention programs were shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress in university students. However, little is known of their effect on resource activation. Additionally, most validated interventions are unidimensional, i.e., including one stress-coping approach. In this study, we investigated the short-term effects of a multidimensional stress prevention program on students' quality of life, psychological symptoms and resources, and resilience factors against stress. Using an experimental design, 64 healthy undergraduate students (56 women), between 18 and 34 years old (M = 21.34, SD = 2.53), from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, were randomly allocated either to the intervention or the wait-list control group. The intervention group participated in a multidimensional stress prevention program, integrating mindfulness-based activities, cognitive and behavioral strategies, social skills, and emotional regulation exercises. The program consisted of eight 2-h weekly sessions. Before and after the intervention, participants completed self-reported questionnaires evaluating quality of life; psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, social anxiety, and interpersonal problems; as well as psychological resources like self-efficacy, sense of coherence, self-compassion, and social support, presented online. A standardized clinical interview was performed at pre- and post-measurement times. To analyze the sort-term effects of the program, we used mixed, two-factorial ANOVAs (per-protocol analyses). In accordance with our hypotheses, our results showed significant reduction of psychological symptoms, including anxiety, interpersonal problems, and symptoms of pain; a significant increase in quality of life, sense of coherence, and self-compassion in students who participated in the intervention program compared to the control group, (all p < 0.05). No significant results were found for symptoms of depression, social anxiety, self-efficacy, and social support. These preliminary findings indicate specific short-term effects of our multidimensional stress prevention program on psychological symptoms and on quality of life as well as promising effects on psychological resources and factors associated with resilience against stress. Future studies should investigate the long-term effects of the intervention as well as the effects in clinical samples.

Do causes of stress differ in their association with problem drinking by sex in Korean adolescents?

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have focused mainly on whether stress causes present drinking or excessive drinking. However, few studies have been conducted on the relationship between stress and problem drinking in adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the stress level and the cause of stress related to problem drinking behavior according to sex among Korean youth.

METHOD

Data for this study were pooled from cross-sectional data collected annually from 2007 through 2012 from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. A representative sample of 442,113 students from 800 randomly selected middle and high schools in Korea were included. Multiple logistic regression models were used in the analysis.

RESULTS

Both male and female students with extremely high stress were more likely to engage in problem drinking than were students with no stress (odds ratios [OR], 1.73 in males and 1.41 in females). The major causes of stress in male students that were associated with problem drinking were conflict with a teacher, trouble with parents, and peer relationships (ORs, 2.47, 1.72, and 1.71, respectively), whereas there are no statistically significant association between causes of stress and problem drinking among female students. Considering stress level, Male students with extremely high stress level were associated with problem drinking regardless of causes of stress, while Female students who felt extremely high levels of stress were more likely to engage in problem drinking due to stress from a conflict with parents, peer relationships, appearance, and financial difficulty (ORs, 1.53, 1.53, 1.46, and 1.47, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Adolescents who engage in problem drinking may be affected by different causes of stress according to sex. Thus, appropriate approaches that reflect sex differences will be helpful to alleviate problem drinking in adolescents and educational authorities need to arrange more effective education program for drinking given positive associations between drinking education and problem drinking.