Intimate Violence: Alcohol and Drug Use, and Mental Health during COVID-19 among Young Mexican Adults

Abstract

Introduction: Although the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an increase in intimate violence, drug use, and mental health problems in low- and middle-income countries, these fluctuations and the relationship directionality between these behaviors and symptoms, when comparing group-of-age risks and developmental trends during the pandemic in Mexico, are unclear. This study describes the tendency and relationship directionality between intimate violence, harmful use of alcohol and other drugs, and mental health symptoms among young adults during COVID-19 in Mexico.

Method: longitudinal cohort of group evolution with 5,102 Mexicans aged 18, 21, and 24 (with 49% of the evolution-age sample accomplishments, e.g., for the first group, we choose a sample of participants of 18 years in 2021, a sample of participants of 19 years in 2022, and a sample of participant of 20 years in 2023).

Results: women, men, and 18- and 22-year-old youths who had suffered intimate violence reported harmful alcohol use, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and perpetrating violence. They also revealed the harmful use of tobacco, cannabis, and sedative consumption due to risky alcohol use. The oldest young adults also reported depressive symptoms due to intimate violence. The 19 to 21, and 25-year-old youths reported perpetrating violence as a result of intimate violence victimization. During 2022 and 2023, the youngest cohorts engaging in harmful alcohol use also reported risky sedative use.

Discussion and conclusions: findings reflect an increase in intimate violence, harmful alcohol and other drugs use, and mental health problems among young adults in Mexico during the pandemic. Public policies should consider designing cost-effective preventive interventions to address intimate violence as a strategy for reducing harmful alcohol use and improving mental health conditions.