University of Twente Student Theses
Self-medication hypothesis: Influence of mood on substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic
Voigt, Maximilian (2022) Self-medication hypothesis: Influence of mood on substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| Abstract: | The Covid 19 pandemic had a strong global impact on people's daily lives. In particular, the reduction of social contacts had an influence on people’s mood. The self-medication hypothesis postulates that in response to negative mood, people use substances as a means of self-medication (to increase mood). To test the self-medication hypothesis during the Covid-19 pandemic this study analysed correlations between decreases in mood and their effect on substance use in a longitudinal study. The LISS panel, which regularly collects data from 5,000 households in the Netherlands on various topics, was used as the data basis. These data were analysed in terms of general mood and reported amount and frequency of substance use. Subsequently, regression analyses were performed to analyse the predictive power of mood on substance use. A significant negative correlation was found between mood and frequency of substance use (alcohol and illicit drugs) during all timepoints. Furthermore, a significant influence of general mood before the pandemic on substance use could be demonstrated through regression analysis. However, the effects found were very small and other variables such as previous substance use showed a stronger predictive power. Therefore, in this study, the self-medication hypothesis cannot be confirmed for general mood during the Covid-19 pandemic. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed. Key Words: Covid-19 pandemic, self-medication hypothesis, substance use, mood, LISS panel |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/90995 |
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