JULY 16, 2021 — The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic brought many relevant issues to light. One question on the minds of many in the health care industry: How can psychologists and other clinicians better serve patients struggling with drug abuse issues?
Aiming to answer that question is a researcher in UTSA’s College for Health, Community and Policy, which is committed to improving the health of individuals and their communities.
UTSA researcher and assistant professor of public health Jeffrey Howard, working in collaboration with researchers at Texas State University, recently published the results of a study on pandemic-related work status and its association with self-reported increases in substance use in the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health.
In addition to the anxiety and uncertainty of the pandemic itself, the researchers considered the added stress of abrupt changes in employment status that may have exacerbated maladaptive coping strategies—such as an increased use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and opioids. By zeroing in on the triggers that prompted an uptick in drug use, the team hopes to ultimately devise a roadmap that lays out healthier ways for patients to cope.
“When the pandemic started and the initial stay-at-home orders began, we suspected that there would be enormous stress placed on individuals, and that some of this would be related to changing work status,” Howard said. “We wanted to get an early measure of these impacts and how they may be related to substance use.”
The research, led by Krista Howard, a psychology professor at Texas State University, used a nationwide randomized Facebook-sponsored ad campaign to recruit online participants. The campaign ran from April 14 to April 22, 2020, when the initial stay-at-home protocols were enacted. By this time in 2020, millions of people had been furloughed or laid off and filing for unemployment benefits—bumping the country’s unemployment rate up to 14.7%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The ad was targeted at random newsfeeds of 76,110 Facebook users in the U.S. aged 18 and older. Participants were asked to fill out an anonymous online study focused on psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2,267 individuals who participated in the survey were asked about their current work status, demographic factors and substance use behavior.
Looking at behaviors such as number of cigarettes smoked, amount of alcohol consumed, use of marijuana and use of opioids for pain, participants were asked to state if their use of these substances had gone in one of four ways: stayed the same, increased, decreased, or was not applicable—and thus not an issue for respondents.
The study showed that individuals who became unemployed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic accounted for the majority of those who reverted to unhealthy substance use behaviors to cope. Within this group:
In addition, individuals who were working outside the home, largely “essential” workers and those who changed to work-from-home arrangements, also reported significant increases in alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and marijuana use. Individuals who lost their jobs reported the largest percent who increased the use of opioids (33%).
“The main conclusion from this research was that during a population-level event like this, numerous stressors are placed on workers—not only the loss of a job, but also the conditions of jobs that suddenly change,” Howard said. “For example, the demand for essential workers to continue working in the public despite exposure risk, requirements for extended hours, and caring for children and elders while working at home, all represent significant stressors for different groups of workers.”
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Finalist candidates for the dean of the College of the Sciences will discuss their vision for the college.
Assembly Room, JPL 4.04.22, Main CampusIn this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to use AI to make your voice recordings sound professional, edit with easy text-based editing, and create high-quality recordings with royalty-free music, so you can focus on your story. You will also plan your own mini-podcast during the session.
Academic Innovation Center (MS 420)Meet representatives from 80+ law schools and learn about law school programs, admission requirements, financing, scholarship opportunities.
Denman Room (SU 2.01.28) and Galleria, Student UnionHave questions about making your OER accessible on UTSA Pressbooks? The OER Team and the Digital Accessibility Team are ready to answer them! Bring your questions about OER and accessibility and receive guidance from our two teams.
Virtual EventUpon completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to: explain the history of Creative Commons, summarize the role of copyright law in the creation of Creative Commons, differentiate between different CC icons, identify the different layers and elements of CC licenses and tools, and list factors to consider when choosing a license for your project.
Virtual EventJoin UTSA Librarians for this introductory workshop for early career faculty on how to build your online scholarly identity. We will discuss how to set up author profiles as well as find existing and emerging metrics for measuring research impact, including Impact Factor, Altmetrics, and beyond.
Virtual EventThis workshop explores the intersection of digital activism, data collection, and visualization techniques in the context of gender-based violence and feminist movements. Participants will learn how to harness the power of GraphCommons to create impactful visualizations that can amplify marginalized voices and reveal hidden patterns in complex social issues.
CEDISH Co-Lab 3.02.38, 3rd Floor, John Peace LibraryThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.