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...on colleges
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www.ProjectCork.org
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Winter 2006
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Club drug use among college students.
Simons JS; Gaher RM; Correia CJ; Bush JA. Addictive Behaviors 30(8): 1619-1624, 2005. (15 refs.)
This study examined prevalence and frequency of "club" drug use among college students (N = 831) and associations with marijuana and alcohol use, sensation seeking, and positive and negative affectivity. Eighteen percent (n = 146) of the sample had used club drugs at least once in their lifetime. Results of a logistic regression indicated that club drug use was positively associated with marijuana use, negative affectivity, and female gender. Among those who had tried club drugs in their lifetime, 42% reported no past year use and 22.6% reported using 7-12 times or more in the past year. Regression analysis examined associations between 12-month use frequency and the predictors among those who had tried club drugs. Results indicated that sensation seeking and marijuana use were positively associated with use frequency. Copyright 2005, Elsevier Science Ltd
Internet and paper self-help materials for problem drinking: Is there an additive effect?
Cunningham JA; Humphreys K; Koski-Jannes A; Cordingley J. Addictive Behaviors 30(8): 1517-1523, 2005. (21 refs.)
The objective of this study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of an Internet-based intervention for problem drinkers, comparing changes in drinking between respondents who only received the intervention to those who also received a self-help book. After receiving a personalized feedback summary on the Internet, 83 respondents provided complete baseline information and volunteered to participate in a 3-month follow-up survey. Half of the respondents were randomized to receive an additional self-help book. The follow-up was returned by 48 respondents (69% female). Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to compare drinking levels at baseline and 3-month follow-up among respondents who only received the Internet-based intervention. There was minimal support for an impact of the Internet intervention alone. In addition, hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to compare respondents in the two intervention conditions on their drinking at follow-up, controlling for baseline consumption. Respondents who received the additional self-help book reported drinking less and experiencing fewer consequences at follow-up as compared to respondents who received only the Internet-based intervention. While the results are promising, they cannot be taken as evidence of the efficacy of Internet-based personalized feedback as a stand-alone intervention because of the absence of a control group that did not receive the intervention. Further research on this topic should be a priority because of the potential for Internet-based interventions to reach problem drinkers underserved by traditional treatment. Copyright 2005, Elsevier.Sci.
Professional and collegiate team assistance programs: Services and utilization patterns.
McDuff DR; Morse ED; White RK. Clinics in Sports Medicine 24(4): 943+, 2005. (48 refs.)
Elite professional and collegiate athletes under-use stress control, mental health, and substance abuse treatment services. Behavioral health services use can be increased by establishing on-site, sports-specific services. Like Employee Assistance Programs of industry and government, Team Assistance Programs (TAPs) address critical issues such as substance abuse prevention, tobacco cessation, stress recognition, mental illness management, injury rehabilitation, performance enhancement, and cultural support. Strong links with the team's medical and conditioning staff can ensure a steady stream of TAP referrals and build trust with players and team staff. This article describes nine years of operation for two professional TAPs and three years for one college TAP. Use patterns and linkage strategies with team physicians, trainers, strength staff, chiropractors, and nutritionists are discussed. Copyright 2005, W B Saunders Co.
Wired for wellness: e-interventions for addressing college drinking.
Walters ST; Miller E; Chiauzzi E. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 29(2): 139-145, 2005. (39 refs.)
In an effort to address problematic drinking among American college students, there has been increasing interest in the use of technology. This article reviews evidence for the efficacy of computer and internet interventions and provides information on five commercially available alcohol education and intervention programs that target college drinkers. Most programs use a mix of educational, skills-based, and motivational strategies to present material. All programs include assessment questions and provide personalized drinking feedback or other information that is customized to each user. Despite limited outcome research, there appear to be a number of advantages to computer and internet programs that focus on alcohol reduction. Future studies will need to determine how to best make use of technology to reach larger numbers of students with an effective, individual approach. Copyright 2005, Elsevier Science
Two brief alcohol interventions for mandated college students.
Borsari B; Carey KB. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 19(3): 296-302, 2005. (32 refs.)
Encouraging but limited research indicates that brief motivational interventions may be an effective way to reduce heavy episodic drinking in college students. At 2 campuses, students (83% male) mandated to a substance use prevention program were randomly assigned to I of 2 individually administered conditions: (a) a brief motivational interview (BMI; n = 34) or (b) an alcohol education session (AE; n = 30). Students in the BMI condition reported fewer alcohol-related problems than the AE students at 3- and 6-month assessments. Trends toward reductions in number of binge drinking episodes and typical blood alcohol levels were seen in both groups. Process measures confirmed the integrity of both interventions. The findings demonstrate that mandated BMIs can reduce alcohol problems in students referred for alcohol violations. Copyright 2005, Educational Publishing Foundation.
Episode-centered analysis of drinking to intoxication in university students.
Kypri K; Langley J; Stephenson S. Alcohol and Alcoholism 40(5): 447-452, 2005. (34 refs.)
Aims: To demonstrate the use of an internet-based retrospective diary to measure intoxication and to describe the epidemiology of intoxication in a university community. Methods: A probability sample of 1564 New Zealand university students completed an Internet-based survey (82% response), including a retrospective diary in which the volume consumed on each of the preceding seven days and the duration of each episode were recorded, along with the respondent's gender, weight, and their typical quantity/frequency of consumption, as a measure of tolerance. These parameters were used to compute an estimated blood alcohol concentration (EBAC) for each episode. Results: Using an EBAC of 0.08 g/100 ml as a criterion for intoxication produced lower estimates of incidence than binge drinking guidelines (> 40 g for women, > 60 g for men), or subjective reports. EBACs of 0.08 g per cent were exceeded at least weekly by 37% of women and 39% of men. Teenage females had higher EBACs than teenage males, despite lower consumption. Intoxication was positively associated with lower age, European or Maori ethnicity relative to Asian, Pacific, or other ethnicities, and with residential halls relative to other living arrangements. Faculty of study was inconsistently related to intoxication. Discussion: Frequent drinking to intoxication is normative behaviour in this population group. Of particular concern are intoxication levels in females aged 16-21 years and in males throughout their 20s. The web-based retrospective diary is a useful means of measuring intoxication by self-report. Where time permits it can be enhanced by specification of drinking locations and beverage-specific questions. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
The utility of collateral informant assessment in college alcohol research: Results from a longitudinal prevention trial.
Laforge RG; Borsari B; Baer JS. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4): 479-487, 2005. (31 refs.)
Objective: Collateral informants have been used to assess independently the validity of college student self-report data. However, it is unclear under what conditions collateral reports might be valid and useful in college research. We present two studies that examine aspects of these issues using data from 1,264 college student participants in a brief intervention prevention trial conducted at a public university. Method: The first study describes the characteristics and predictors of agreement on reports of alcohol use and problems from 219 student-collateral informant pairs. The second study investigates potential "pipeline effects"; that is, whether collateral verification resulted in changes in student self-reports on two subsequent survey assessments over I year using longitudinal data from 1,264 students. Results: Little support was found for the assumption that nondependent college drinkers underreport drinking behaviors and consequences. Collaterals who reported more occasions of drinking together, higher confidence in the report and a close relationship with the participant provided reports that were more consistent with participant drinking reports. No evidence was found that pipeline effects of collateral verification improve the accuracy of college student self-reports at future assessments. Conclusions: The results from this study are consistent with much of the published literature showing that using collateral reports to verify the self-reports of college students (and adults) may result in increased, not decreased, misclassification error. These findings suggest that the time and expense required to collect collateral data in the college setting has limited utility and may be better spent on establishing the proper assessment conditions that will foster accurate and honest self-reporting. Copyright 2005, Alcohol Research Documentation Inc.
Development of the protective behavioral strategies survey.
Martens MP; Ferrier AG; Sheehy MJ; Corbett K; Anderson DA; Simmons A. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5): 698-705, 2005. (30 refs.)
Objective: Heavy alcohol use among college students represents a public health problem on American college campuses. A promising area for combating this problem is identifying protective behavioral strategies that may reduce consumption and its resulting negative consequences among students who do choose to use alcohol. The purpose of this study was to develop and conduct initial psychometric analyses on a new scale, which we named the Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey. Method: Data were collected on 437 undergraduate students, who volunteered to participate in the study, at a large, public university in the northeast region of the United States. Results: Results from an exploratory factor analysis yielded three theoretically meaningful factors that we labeled Limiting/Stopping Drinking, Manner of Drinking and Serious Harm Reduction. The three factors were, as a group, significantly associated with both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, but the strongest unique relationship existed between Manner of Drinking and the outcome variables. Conclusions: Protective behavioral strategies seem to be a measurable construct that are related to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, and thus may be a useful component of intervention and prevention programs with college students. Copyright 2005, Alcohol Research Documentation Inc.
Characteristics of methylphenidate misuse in a university student sample.
Barrett SP; Darredeau C; Bordy LE; Pihl RO. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 50(8): 457-461, 2005
OBJECTIVE: Methylphenidate (MPH) is a prescription stimulant drug with known abuse potential; however, little is known about its patterns of misuse or the characteristics of its abusers. METHODS: A sample of 50 university students reporting MPH misuse and 50 control subjects matched for age, sex, and ethnicity completed structured face-to-face interviews about their MPH and other drug use. For each substance ever used, they provided information regarding routes of administration and other substances ever coadministered, as well as details about the most recent administration. MPH users provided additional information about their reasons for use and, in 36 cases, about how they obtained the drug. RESULTS: Relative to control subjects, those who misused MPH were more likely to have used various other prescription and nonprescription stimulant drugs over their lifetime, and most MPH users reported mixing the drug with other psychoactive substances. Of the MPH sample, 70% reported recreational use of the drug, while 30% reported that MPH was used exclusively for study purposes. Relative to those using it exclusively for study, recreational users were more likely to report using MPH intranasally, as well as coadministering MPH with other substances. Most of those who reported their source of MPH obtained it from an acquaintance with a prescription. CONCLUSIONS: Those who misuse MPH are more likely than their peers to misuse various other substances, and MPH misuse frequently occurs in the context of simultaneous polydrug use. Because the primary supply of inappropriately used MPH appears to be prescribed users, efforts should be directed toward preventing its diversion. Copyright 2005, Canadian Psychiatric Association.
Assessment of difference in dimensions of sexual orientation: Implications for substance use research in a college-age population.
McCabe SE; Hughes TL; Bostwick W; Boyd CJ. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5): 620-629, 2005. (63 refs)
Objective: The present research examines the associations between three distinct dimensions of sexual orientation and substance use in a random sample of undergraduate students. Method: A Web-based survey was administered to students attending a large, midwestern research university in the spring of 2003. The sample consisted of 9,161 undergraduate students: 56% female, 68% white, 13% Asian, 6% black, 4% Hispanic and 9% other racial categories. Using multivariate logistic regression analyses, several measures of alcohol and other drug use were compared across three dimensions of sexual orientation: sexual identity, sexual attraction and sexual behavior. Results: All three dimensions of sexual orientation were associated with substance use, including heavy episodic drinking, cigarette smoking and illicit drug use. Consistent with results of several other recent studies, "nonheterosexual" identity, attraction or behavior was associated with a more pronounced and consistent risk of substance use in women than in men. Conclusions: Study findings suggest substantial variability in substance use across the three dimensions of sexual orientation and reinforce the importance of stratifying by gender and using multiple measures to assess sexual orientation. Study results have implications for future research and for interventions aimed at reducing substance use among college students. Copyright 2005, Alcohol Research Documentation Inc.
Sex, HIV risks, and substance use among Asian American college students.
So DW; Wong FY; DeLeon JM. AIDS Education and Prevention 17(5): 457-468, 2005. (26 refs.)
In this study of 248 predominantly heterosexual Asian American college students, we found some HIV risks: lifetime prevalence of unprotected sex (37%), alcohol before sex (23.8%), and drug use before sex (6.0%). The prevalence of lifetime anal sex is only 9%, but 90.48% of those who have ever had anal sex did so without a condom. The Sexual Risk Indices, measured with a 13 item risky sexual behavior checklist, are positively associated with age. Most students have inadequate HIV knowledge. Acculturation is positively associated with the 30-day HIV Sexual Risk Index and HIV Knowledge Score. Preference for speaking English at home and for American entertainment is associated with higher likelihood of sexual activities, safe or unsafe. Lifetime Sexual Risk Index is also associated with 30-day and lifetime alcohol use. Lifetime drug use is associated it with 30-day and lifetime Sexual Risk Indices. Alcohol before use in the lifetime also reliably predicts unprotected sex in the lifetime. Copyright 2005, Guilford Publications.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, medication treatment, and substance use patterns among adolescents and young adults.
Upadhyaya HP; Rose K; Wang W; O'Rourke K; Sullivan B; Deas D et al. Journal of Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology 15(5): 799-809, 2005. (53 refs.)
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between current active attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, medication treatment, and substance use patterns among college students. Method: Three hundred and thirty-four students at a local college were surveyed for current ADHD symptoms and psychopharma-cological treatment. The survey was conducted in conjunction with an annual national survey that probes students about their substance use patterns and attitudes. Results: Participants with ADHD as ascertained by medication treatment of ADHD had greater past-year tobacco and marijuana use. Among those with ADHD, participants with active ADHD symptoms were more likely to have past-year tobacco and other drug (besides tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) use as compared to those without active ADHD symptoms. In addition, participants with active ADHD symptoms were more likely to have past-month "other" drug use as compared to those without active ADHD symptoms. Among those prescribed medications for ADHD, 25% reported ever using their medication to "'get high" and almost 29% reported ever giving or selling their medication to someone else. Conclusions: Results of our preliminary study indicated that ADHD symptom control may be important to protect against increased risk of substance use (particularly tobacco and drugs other than alcohol and marijuana) among college-age students with ADHD. Copyright 2005, Mary Ann Liebert Inc.
Mandatory alcohol intervention for alcohol abusing college students: A systematic review. (review).
Barnett NP; Read JP. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 29(2): 147-158, 2005. (71 refs.)
Most colleges and universities in the United States have programmatic responses for alcohol policy violators that commonly include some form of mandatory alcohol education or counseling. The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of intervention programs for college students who are required to attend alcohol education or counseling. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases were searched for reports of college-based mandatory interventions offered on American campuses. When possible, within-group and between-group effect sizes were calculated. Sixteen reports were identified, including three randomized controlled trials. Most of the reviewed studies used qualitative or quasi-experimental designs, did not include comparison or control groups, had small or selective sample sizes, lacked behavioral measures of alcohol consumption, and/or had no follow-up, low follow-up rates, or short follow-up intervals. Recommendations for future research include testing different modes and types of interventions and sanctions, evaluating long-term efficacy, and establishing cost effectiveness. Copyright 2005, Elsevier Science Ltd.
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