Evolution of the Risk of Problematic Alcohol Use in University Students: A Longitudinal Study Based on the uniHcos Cohort Data

This study aims to analyse the evolution of problematic alcohol use among Spanish university students. A longitudinal analysis was performed on data from the uniHcos cohort (n = 1181; 76.7% female). Participants were assessed at university entry (T1) and after 2–3 years (T2). The overall alcohol con...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Botella Juan, Lorena, Delgado Parrilla, Ana, Fernández Villa, Tania
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Huelva (UHU)
Repositorio:Arias Montano. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ariasmontano.uhu.es:10272/27515
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27515
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Alcohol drinking
Alcoholism
Binge drinking
University students
AUDIT
Longitudinal
3212 Salud Publica
6114 Psicología Social
Descripción
Sumario:This study aims to analyse the evolution of problematic alcohol use among Spanish university students. A longitudinal analysis was performed on data from the uniHcos cohort (n = 1181; 76.7% female). Participants were assessed at university entry (T1) and after 2–3 years (T2). The overall alcohol consumption prevalence remained high and stable (past 30-days alcohol use 76.2% at T1; 76.4% at T2). Binge drinking practice in the past 30 days was also consistent (44.0% at T1; 44.3% at T2). Regarding the risk of problematic alcohol (measured with AUDIT), the prevalence rates remained stable over time (28.2% in T1 to 30.3% in T2). However, a high persistence rate was observed during university (61% of cases), and 18% of new incident cases were detected during follow-up. Factors associated with an increased risk of problematic alcohol included cohabitation with peers, psychological distress, smoking, and drug experimentation. No sex differences were identified. These findings highlight the need for targeted prevention strategies to address increasing risky alcohol use among university students and mitigate its long-term effects.