Alcohol and marijuana use predicting next-day absenteeism and engagement at school and work: A daily study of young adults

Abstract

This study examined effects of alcohol and marijuana use on next-day absenteeism and engagement at work and school among young adults (18–25 years old) who reported past-month alcohol use and simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use. Participants completed twice daily surveys for five, 14-day bursts. The analytic sample was 409 [64 % were enrolled in university (N = 263) and 95 % were employed (N = 387) in at least one burst]. Daily measures included: any alcohol or marijuana use, quantity of alcohol or marijuana use (i.e., number of drinks, number of hours high), attendance at work or school, and engagement (i.e., attentiveness, productivity) at school or work. Multilevel models examined between- and within-person associations between alcohol and marijuana use and next-day absenteeism and engagement at school or work. Between-persons, the proportion of days of alcohol use days was positively associated with next-day absence from school, consuming more drinks was positively associated with next-day absence from work, and the proportion of days of marijuana use was positively associated with next-day engagement at work. At the daily-level, when individuals consumed any alcohol and when they consumed more drinks than average, they reported lower next-day engagement during school and work. When individuals used marijuana and when they were high for more hours than average, they reported lower next-day engagement during school. Findings suggest alcohol and marijuana use consequences include next-day absence and decrements in next-day engagement at school and work, which could be included in interventions aimed at ameliorating harmful impacts of substance use among young adults.