TY  - JOUR
U1  - Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
A1  - Deimel, Daniel
A1  - Firk, Christine
A1  - Stöver, Heino
A1  - Hees, Nicolas
A1  - Scherbaum, Norbert
A1  - Fleißner, Simon
T1  - Substance Use and Mental Health during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Germany: Results of a Cross-Sectional Survey
JF  - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
N2  - Background: The measures taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have led to significant changes in people’s daily lives. This paper examines changes in substance use during the first lockdown (March–July 2020) and investigates mental health burdens in substance users with increased consumption of alcohol, nicotine or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Germany compared to users with unchanged or reduced consumption. Method: In a cross-sectional online survey, 2369 people were asked about their mental health and their substance use during the first lockdown in Germany. Results: Of the participants, 28.5% increased their alcohol use, 28.8% their use of tobacco products, and 20.6% their use of THC-containing products during the pandemic. The groups with increased alcohol, nicotine, and THC use during the first lockdown reported more depressive symptoms and anxiety. Individuals who reported increased consumption of alcohol or nicotine were also more likely to experience loneliness and have suicidal thoughts and were more often stressed due to social distancing. Conclusion: Alcohol, nicotine and THC increased in a subgroup of consumers who reported to have more mental health problems compared to individuals who did not increase their consumption. This increased substance use could, therefore, be understood as a dysfunctional strategy to cope with negative emotions during the lockdown.
KW  - Covid-19-Pandemie
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - Umfrage
KW  - Psychische Gesundheit
KW  - Mental health
KW  - Substance use
KW  - Lockdown
KW  - Survey
Y1  - 2022
UN  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0295-opus4-46080
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912801
DO  - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912801
VL  - 19
IS  - 19
SP  - 15
S1  - 15
ER  -