Despite decades of research and targeted intervention approaches, high-risk drinking and related consequences continue to be problems on the majority of college campuses. When examining the potential impact on reduced drinking and alcohol related incidents, Police reports of student incidents in the target community decreased by 27% over the course of the project, however there were no significant reductions in reported alcohol use or alcohol-impaired driving 25. However, the proximity to neighboring states could undermine those efforts if students have options to circumvent RI laws by obtaining and/or consuming alcohol in bordering states. Students receive personalized normative feedback (PNF) about their own drinking behaviors which then compares their drinking to normative drinking rates of students on campus. Given the importance of reaching a large number of students while minimizing financial and clinical burdens within overextended departments, universities have implemented computer and web-based intervention approaches aimed at reducing drinking among heavy drinking students 12.
Depending on the size and financial resources of a campus, connections to independent, off-campus providers may also be an important part of the network of care for student mental health. In general, on-campus treatment centers and their staff are uniquely positioned, trained, and professionally focused to effectively navigate this important balancing act (e.g., working with residence life and student conduct units to proactively manage a perceived behavioral threat with mental health concerns). Because use of mental health services is to be held confidential by a range of state and federal laws (e.g., the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), it can be challenging for institutions to balance collaborating services across the whole student while also respecting a student’s state/federal right to privacy.
How to Approach a Friend in Need
- Binge drinking is particularly concerning, as it can lead to elevated blood alcohol levels and increase the risk of illicit drug use.
- Research on message framing 45-47 and prevention messages for preteens and teenagers 48-50 suggests that gain-framed messages may be effective.
- Those who have developed close ties to trusted adults are more likely to recognize the many ways substance abuse can negatively impact their future.
- The college environment, characterized by newfound freedoms and stressors, can sometimes contribute to risky behaviors that require effective intervention.
Although individual level interventions have been strongly supported in the literature, environmental approaches and the integration of multiple approaches are more challenging. Annual student telephone surveys showed increases in awareness of formal efforts to address student alcohol use, perceived likelihood of apprehension for underage drinking, and perceived consequences for alcohol-impaired driving. During Phase 2, students were informed about state laws, university policies, and Common Ground’s environmental initiatives. There were two phases to the implementation, In Phase 1 of the media campaign, investigators targeted potential student resistance to environmentally focused prevention. In RI, one study (Common Ground) conducted at the University of Rhode Island, officials reached out to specific constituencies in Narragansett and South Kingstown to implement environmental prevention strategies.
The Impact of Substance Abuse on Students
This may be due in part to limitations in the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of strategies that colleges use to reduce student drinking and related problems. The stability over time of binge drinking among college students has recently been confirmed by a study that examined data from the National Survey of Drug use and Health from 1979 through 2006 (Grucza et al., 2009). This study also indicates consistently higher levels of binge drinking and related problems (e.g., drinking and driving) among college students than among youth not attending college. Trend data collected annually since 1980 show that the prevalence of binge drinking among full-time college students has largely remained static, even as comparable trends for non-college young adults and 12th graders have manifested a reduction over time (Johnston et al., 2009). Latest statistics from Monitoring the Future suggest that as of 2008, 37% of college students had consumed five or more drinks in a row in the two week period prior to the administration of the survey, and 40% reported drinking enough to feel drunk within the past 30 days.
However, there is considerable variation in the scope of services, the level of education and professional licensure of the clinical staff, the availability of clinical providers, and the training that the providers have received to work with specific populations of students. When schools prioritize prevention as part of Hispanic and Latino Student Mental Health Guide a whole-student approach, they empower young people with the tools to thrive academically, socially, and personally. The curriculum aligns with research-backed models of effective prevention and is designed to meet students where they are—developmentally, socially, and emotionally.
As indicated, marijuana was the most prevalent illicit drug (89% in past month) and pain medication was the most commonly misused (22% in past month). The concern variable was calculated taking the maximum level of concern endorsed from any drug or medication category. The note to Table 2 indicates which items from this scale were used to estimate diagnoses for abuse (at least one of the relevant items occurring at least twice in the past year) and dependence (at least three of the relevant items in the past year). Using a similar format, a list of prescription medications was added to document lifetime and past month use and misuse of medications organized into six broad categories (see Table 1 note for different examples of each drug and medication category provided to participants as a reference). The sample for this study included 262 undergraduates attending a small private university located in suburban southern Connecticut who self-reported lifetime use of an illicit drug or misuse of a prescription medication.