Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract (300 words maximum)

Is resiliency associated with problem drinking among young adults in the US and Uganda? An international comparison study

Olamide Akintobi Adedeji

Introduction: Resiliency is an important predictor of health behaviors, and low resiliency may be a risk factor for unhealthy stress coping strategies. Problem drinking is an unhealthy coping strategy that may disproportionately impact young adults. The relationship between drinking and resiliency may differ from country to country. In this study, we examine whether that relationship differs between the US and Uganda.

Methods: 300 US young adults and 300 Ugandan young adults were surveyed. Questions included the AUDIT scale and the Brief Resilience Scale. Independent sample T-Tests were used to compare average resiliency for problem drinkers vs. non-problem drinkers in each country.

Results: The final sample contained 292 Americans and 295 Ugandans. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, the average resiliency score was 3.07 in the US and 3.27 in Uganda. 83 Americans (28.42%) exhibited problem drinking (scores of 8 or greater on the AUDIT), while 51 Ugandans (17.29%) did so. No statistically significant relationship between problem drinking and resiliency scores was observed in either country.

Discussion: While we could not detect a relationship between resiliency and drinking in this study, that may be due to the limitations of the data. We also stratified by gender, but still observed no relationship.

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Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Matthew Lyons

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Is Problem Drinking Related to Resiliency Among Young Adults?

Is resiliency associated with problem drinking among young adults in the US and Uganda? An international comparison study

Olamide Akintobi Adedeji

Introduction: Resiliency is an important predictor of health behaviors, and low resiliency may be a risk factor for unhealthy stress coping strategies. Problem drinking is an unhealthy coping strategy that may disproportionately impact young adults. The relationship between drinking and resiliency may differ from country to country. In this study, we examine whether that relationship differs between the US and Uganda.

Methods: 300 US young adults and 300 Ugandan young adults were surveyed. Questions included the AUDIT scale and the Brief Resilience Scale. Independent sample T-Tests were used to compare average resiliency for problem drinkers vs. non-problem drinkers in each country.

Results: The final sample contained 292 Americans and 295 Ugandans. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, the average resiliency score was 3.07 in the US and 3.27 in Uganda. 83 Americans (28.42%) exhibited problem drinking (scores of 8 or greater on the AUDIT), while 51 Ugandans (17.29%) did so. No statistically significant relationship between problem drinking and resiliency scores was observed in either country.

Discussion: While we could not detect a relationship between resiliency and drinking in this study, that may be due to the limitations of the data. We also stratified by gender, but still observed no relationship.

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