COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Alcohol (PIA) - A Natural History Study

Background:

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a pandemic infection called COVID-19. It is a global threat to people, communities, and health systems. Researchers are concerned about the mental health effects of the pandemic. They want to learn more about how it is affecting people s alcohol use and problems, and how it may continue to affect them over time.

Objective:

To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol use and consequences in individuals across the spectrum of alcohol use and those with alcohol use disorder.

Eligibility:

Participants who have been screened under the NIAAA Screening, Assessment and Management Protocol (14-AA-0181)

Design:

Participants will complete a baseline survey by phone. It will ask about alcohol use, alcohol dependence, and stress. It covers 2 time periods: the 12 months before the pandemic started and the time since it started.

Participants will get an ID code and a link to an online survey. They will complete the online survey within a week of the phone survey.

Participants will complete a series of online surveys over 24 months. For the first year, surveys will be completed weekly for the first 4 weeks, then biweekly for the next 8 weeks, and then every 1-2 months for the rest of the year. For the second year, surveys will be completed every 6 months. Surveys will cover the following topics:

• Alcohol use and its consequences
• Other substance use
• Stress
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Pain
• Physical health
• Sleep
• Quality of life.

Because the course of the pandemic may change, the frequency of the surveys may change.

Participation lasts 2 years.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Pandemic; Psychological Stress

Detailed Description

Study Description:

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak started in 2019 and has resulted in a world-wide pandemic infection designated COVID-19. This pandemic has become an unprecedented global threat to individuals, communities and health systems. While immediate attention has appropriately focused on prevention and treatment of SARS CoV-2 infection, the widespread societal mental health consequences of the pandemic cannot be ignored. Given the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to prospectively and longitudinally assess the impact on alcohol use and problems, along with associated behaviors and outcomes. Thus, the goal of this study is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol use and consequences in individuals across the spectrum of alcohol use and alcohol use disorder.

Objectives:

The specific aims of this study are:

1. To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol consumption and consequences in individuals across the spectrum of alcohol use and those with AUD.
2. To evaluate the time-course of changes in measures of negative life events, social isolation and stress, and their effect on alcohol consumption and consequences over a 24-month period during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. (Exploratory aim) To examine the role of anxiety, depression, craving, binge drinking, impaired control in the relationships examined above.

Endpoints:

Participants will be invited to complete several surveys by phone and/or online over 2 years at intervals that range from weekly to bimonthly in the first year and every 6 months during the second year. Depending on the trajectory of the pandemic, the frequency of the surveys may be modified if necessary. The surveys will assess a range of outcomes related to alcohol consumption and consequences, along with measures of other substance use, stress, sleep, physical health and quality of life.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 1500

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Vijay A Ramchandani, Ph.D.; Phone Number: (301) 402-8527; Email: vijayr@mail.nih.gov

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
      • Recruiting
      • NIAAA Section on Human Psychopharmacology
      • Contact: Vijay Ramchandani, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 301-402-8527; Email: vijayr@mail.nih.gov

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The target population for this study includes healthy adults across the spectrum of alcohol use who have been screened under the NIAAA screening protocol (14-AA-0181). This sample includes non-drinkers, light drinkers, non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers, and treatment-seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder.

Description

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:

  1. Participants who have enrolled in the NIAAA Screening Protocol (14-AA-0181) and completed screening and phenotyping assessments.
  2. Willing and able to complete frequent (weekly to monthly) surveys either online or by phone.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

As this is a natural history protocol, there are no formal exclusionary criteria for this study. Participants who are determined by the interviewer to be uncooperative or unable to provide consent via telephone will not be enrolled into the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Study Participants; Participants that were previously enrolled in the NIAAA Screening Protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
AUDIT Score	Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT): This is a 10-item questionnaire designed to screen for AUD. The first 3 questions constitute the AUDIT-C and provides a measure of alcohol consumption. The total score provides a continuous quantification of AUD severity.	24 months
ADS Score	Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS): This 25-item scale will be used to measure severity of alcohol dependence. This scale covers alcohol withdrawal symptoms, impaired control over drinking, awareness of a compulsion to drink, increased tolerance to alcohol, and salience of drink-seeking behavior.	24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Life Events Questionnaire (LEQ) Score	Life Events Questionnaire (LEQ): This questionnaire assesses positive and negative life events and their impact on participants	24 monhts
UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS) Score	UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS): This is a 20-item scale designed to measure a person s subjective feeling of loneliness and social isolation in the last month	24 months
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Score	Perceived stress scale (PSS): This is a 10-item scale to measure perception of stress	24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Vijay A Ramchandani, Ph.D., National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Clay JM, Parker MO. Alcohol use and misuse during the COVID-19 pandemic: a potential public health crisis? Lancet Public Health. 2020 May;5(5):e259. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30088-8. Epub 2020 Apr 8. No abstract available.
• Cerda M, Tracy M, Galea S. A prospective population based study of changes in alcohol use and binge drinking after a mass traumatic event. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2011 May 1;115(1-2):1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.09.011. Epub 2010 Oct 24.
• Druss BG. Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic in Populations With Serious Mental Illness. JAMA Psychiatry. 2020 Sep 1;77(9):891-892. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.0894. No abstract available.

Helpful Links

• NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web Page

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 3, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 15, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 15, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): May 18, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 20, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 16, 2024
• Last Verified: February 15, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Stress; Natural History; Coronavirus; SARS-CoV2; Alcohol Use Disorder; Social Isolation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Drinking Behavior; Substance-Related Disorders; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Lung Diseases; Alcohol Drinking; COVID-19; Stress, Psychological; Alcohol-Related Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 200115; 20-AA-0115

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No