|
|
|
|
...on substance abuse and the college campus
|
|
www.ProjectCork.org
|
Summer 2007
|
Date fighting experiences among college students: Are they associated with other health-risk behaviors?
DuRant R; Champion H; Wolfson M; Omli M; McCoy T; D'Agostino RB; Wagoner K; Mitra A. Journal of American College Health 55(5): 291-296, 2007. (33 refs.)
Objective: The authors examined the clustering of health-risk behaviors among college students who reported date fight involvement. Participants and Methods: The authors administered a Web-based survey to a stratified random sample of 3,920 college students from 10 universities in North Carolina. Results: Among men, 5.6% reported date fight victimization, and 1% reported date fight perpetration. Victimization among men was associated with (1) first drink at age 15 years or younger, (2) a recent threat of violence by someone who had been drinking, (3) smoking, (4) amphetamine use, and (5) older age. Among women, 6.7% reported date fight victimization, which was associated with (1) older age, (2) assault from a student who had been drinking, (3) sex with 2 or more persons, (4) consumption of alcohol in high school, (5) illegal drug use, (6) nonsexual assault requiring medical treatment, and (7) living off campus. Of the women, 4.2% reported date fight perpetration, which was associated with (1) minority race/ethnicity, (2) older age, (3) frequency of sexual intercourse, and (4) alcohol and marijuana use. Conclusions: Date fight experiences were associated with multiple health-risk behaviors among this sample of college students. Copyright 2007, Heldref Publications.
Gambling and health risk behaviors among US college student-athletes: Findings from a national study.
Huang JH; Jacobs DF; Derevensky JL; Gupta R; Paskus TS. Journal of Adolescent Health 40(5): 390-397, 2007. (26 refs.)
Purpose: To examine prevalence and associations of gambling problems and health risk behaviors among college athletes from the first national survey of gambling among U.S. college student-athletes. Methods: Conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), this self-administered and anonymous survey collected information from a nationally representative sample of 20,739 student-athletes. Results: Males consistently had higher past-year prevalence of gambling than females (e.g., 62.4% of males reported some type of gambling vs. 42.8% of females). Based on DSM-IV Gambling Screen, this study identified 4.3% of males and 0.4% of females as problem/pathological gamblers. A general upward trend existed that as the level of gambling problems increased, so did the prevalence of substance use, gorging/vomiting, and unprotected sex. Cross-group comparisons by gambler type were all significant. Problem and pathological gamblers also experienced significantly more drug/alcohol-related problems than non-gamblers and social gamblers. Conclusions: Direct associations found between gambling and multiple risk behaviors in college student-athletes support the persistence of the youth problem-behavior syndrome and suggest the need for multi-faceted initiatives to tackle these risk behaviors simultaneously. Copyright 2007, Society for Adolescent Medicine.
Expectancy and pharmacology influence the subjective effects of nicotine in a balanced-placebo design.
Kelemen WL; Kaighobadi F. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 15(1): 93-101, 2007. (27 refs.)
The expectancy and pharmacological effects of nicotine (0.60 mg) on memory and the subjective effects of cigarettes were examined by using a balanced-placebo design (i.e., expect either nicotine or no nicotine and receive either nicotine or no nicotine). A total of 120 college students who smoke were assigned to 1 of the 4 experimental groups, then rated the cigarettes on a number of dimensions and completed questionnaires on smoking urges, tension, and energy. Participants also completed tests of memory as well as predictions of memory. Pharmacology played a stronger role than expectancy in most ratings of the cigarettes, but significant effects of expectancy did emerge for feelings of increased wakefulness, concentration, calming, cigarette satisfaction, and hunger reduction. The presence of nicotine significantly reduced smoking urges, but expectancy alone reduced tension after smoking. Neither variable produced significant effects on memory or memory predictions. These findings demonstrate that nonpharmacological factors can play an important role in the self-reported effects of nicotine. Copyright 2007, American Psychological Association.
A campus-based motivational enhancement group intervention reduces problematic drinking in freshmen male college students.
LaBrie JW; Pedersen ER; Lamb TF; Quinlan T. Addictive Behaviors 32(5): 889-901, 2007. (50 refs.)
The current study employs an adaptation to Motivational Interviewing (AMI) group intervention with freshmen male undergraduates. The program follows suggestions of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for effective interventions with problematic college student drinking, and combines several empirically validated strategies to prevent drinking problems throughout college. All participants reduced drinking and alcohol-related problems; heavier drinkers and those experiencing the most alcohol-related problems reduced drinking most. Additionally, freshmen who completed the intervention were less likely than their non-intervention freshmen male peers to commit alcohol-related violations of campus policies. In addition to the reductions in problematic drinking, the group AMI has advantages over individual formats because larger numbers of students can benefit with comparable expenditures of time and effort. Copyright 2007, Elsevier Science.
Trends and college-level characteristics associated with the non-medical use of prescription drugs among US college students from 1993 to 2001.
McCabe SE; West BT; Wechsler H. Addiction 102(3): 455-465, 2007. (37 refs.)
Aims: The present study examines the prevalence trends and college-level characteristics associated with the nonmedical use of prescription drugs (i.e. amphetamines, opioids, sedatives, tranquilizers) and illicit drug use among US college students between 1993 and 2001. Design Data were collected from self-administered mail surveys, sent to independent cross-sectional samples of college students from a nationally representative sample of 119 colleges in 4 years between 1993 and 2001. Setting Nationally representative 4-year US colleges and universities in 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2001. Participants Representative samples of 15 282, 14 428, 13 953 and 10 904 randomly selected college students at these colleges in 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2001, respectively. Findings: The results indicate that life-time and 12-month prevalence rates of non-medical use of prescription drugs increased between 1993 and 2001. Specific college-level characteristics were found to be correlated positively (marijuana use) and negatively (historically black college status and commuter status) with nonmedical use of prescription drugs, consistently across the four cross-sectional samples. Significant between-college variation in terms of trajectories in the prevalence of NMPD over time was found in hierarchical linear models, and selected college-level characteristics were not found to explain all of the variation in the trajectories, suggesting the need for further investigation of what determines between-college variance in the prevalence trends. Conclusions: The findings of the present study suggest that continued monitoring of nonmedical use of prescription drugs and illicit drug use among college students is needed and collegiate substance prevention programs should include efforts to reduce these drug use behaviors. Copyright 2007, Society for the Study of Addiction to Alcohol and Other Drugs.
Two-year outcome of alcohol interventions in Swedish university halls of residence: A cluster randomized trial of a brief skills training program, twelve-step-influenced intervention, and controls.
Stahlbrandt H; Johnsson KO; Berglund M. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31(3): 458-466, 2007. (36 refs.)
Background: High-risk alcohol consumption among university students is well documented. Several types of intervention have proved to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption. This study examines the 2-year outcome of 2 different alcohol intervention programs at university halls of residence. Methods: Ninety-eight university halls of residence (with 556 students) were cluster randomized to 2 different intervention groups: a brief skills training program (BSTP) with interactive lectures and discussions, a twelve-step-influenced (TSI) program with didactic lectures by therapists trained in the 12-step approach, and a control group. All students completing the baseline assessment received personalized feedback by mail. Students responded to mailed follow-up questionnaires after 1, 2, and 3 years, including alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT; years 2 and 3), short index of problems (SIP), and estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC). Results: All groups significantly reduced their AUDIT scores from baseline to the second year follow-up, with no significant differences between the groups. Seventy-seven percent of the students belonged to a population with high-risk consumption, using the AUDIT cut-off scores of 8 and 4 for men and women, respectively. Students with high-risk alcohol consumption showed significant differences in AUDIT score reduction in favor of the BSTP compared with controls, and had a tendency to show better results than the TSI intervention (p=0.06). Similar trends could be seen using SIP and eBAC. The TSI did not differ significantly from the control group within the group of students with high-risk alcohol consumption. Conclusions: This study suggests that a BSTP is effective as an intervention in students with high-risk alcohol consumption. Copyright 2007, Research Society on Alcoholism.
A controlled trial of web-based feedback for heavy drinking college students.
Walters ST; Vader AM; Harris TR. Prevention Science 8(1): 83-88, 2007. (33 refs.)
Objective: Alcohol consumption has been a growing concern at U.S. colleges, particularly among first-year students, who are at increased risk for problems. This study tested the efficacy of the "electronic Check-Up to Go" (e-CHUG), a commercially-available internet program, at reducing drinking among a group of at-risk college freshman. Method: The design was a randomized controlled trial: 106 freshmen students who reported heavy episodic drinking were randomly assigned to receive feedback or to assessment only. Assessment measures were completed at baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks. Results: At 8 weeks, the feedback group showed a significant decrease in drinks per week and peak BAC over control. By 16 weeks, the control group also declined to a point where there were no differences between groups. Changes in normative drinking estimates mediated the effect of the intervention. An additional 245 abstainers and light drinkers who were also randomized to condition did not show any intervention effect. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support for the efficacy of this intervention at reducing short-term drinking among at-risk students. Copyright 2007, Springer.
Alcohol use disorders and the use of treatment services among college-age young adults.
Wu LT; Pilowsky DJ; Schlenger WE; Hasin D. Psychiatric Services 58(2): 192-200, 2007. (54 refs.)
Objectives: This study examined the utilization of and the perceived need for alcohol treatment services among college-age young adults (18-22 years) according to their educational status: full-time college students, part-time college students, noncollege students (currently in school with the highest grade level below college), and nonstudents (N=11,337). This breakdown of young adults had not been addressed previously. Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted on data from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Results: Full-time college students (21%) were as likely to have an alcohol use disorder as nonstudents (19%), but were more likely than part-time college students (15%) and noncollege students (12%). Only 4% of full-time college students with an alcohol use disorder received any alcohol services in the past year. Of those with an alcohol use disorder who did not receive treatment services, only 2% of full-time college students, close to 1% of part-time college students, and approximately 3% of young adults who were not in college reported a perceived need for alcohol treatment. Full-time college students were less likely than noncollege students to receive treatment for alcohol use disorders. All young adults with an alcohol use disorder were very unlikely to perceive a need for alcohol treatment or counseling. Conclusions: College-age adults have a high prevalence of alcohol use disorders, yet they are very unlikely to receive alcohol treatment or early intervention services or to perceive a need for such services. Underutilization of alcohol-related services among college-age young adults deserves greater research attention. Copyright 2007, American Psychiatric Association.
College student involvement in cigarette smoking: The role of psychosocial and behavioral protection and risk.
Costa FM; Jessor R; Turbin MS. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 9(2): 213-224, 2007. (52 refs.)
A theory-based protection and risk model was applied to explain variation in college students' cigarette smoking. Key aims were to examine whether psychosocial and behavioral protective and risk factors can account for cross-sectional and developmental variation in smoking, and to examine whether protection moderates the impact of risk on smoking involvement. Data for this three-wave longitudinal study were collected in fall 2002, spring 2003, and spring 2004 from 549 male and 427 female first-semester college students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A 32-page questionnaire was used, with content theoretically derived from the constructs in problem-behavior theory. Cigarette smoking (number of cigarettes smoked on an average day in the past month), three types of psychosocial protection (models protection, controls protection, support protection), three types of psychosocial risk (models risk, opportunity risk, and vulnerability risk), two types of behavioral protection (church involvement, academic achievement), and two types of behavioral risk (problem drinking, marijuana use) were assessed. Psychosocial and behavioral protective and risk factors accounted for significant variation in smoking involvement, and protection moderated the impact of risk. Findings were consistent, for the most part, for both genders and across three separate waves of data. Key predictors of smoking involvement included controls protection, models risk, vulnerability risk, behavioral protection, and behavioral risk. Antecedent protective and risk factors were associated with the initiation of smoking in the college setting. A model of protective and risk factors can be useful in understanding college smoking behavior and suggesting targets for intervention. Copyright 2007, Taylor and Francis.
Prevalence and characteristics of smokers at 30 Pacific Northwest colleges and universities.
Thompson B; Coronado G; Chen L; Thompson LA; Halperin A; Jaffe R et al. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 9(3): 429-438, 2007. (25 refs.)
College is an important transition period during which young adults explore tobacco use. Few large-scale studies have been conducted among college students regarding tobacco use. We initiated a study examining tobacco use in 30 colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest. We conducted a baseline survey among students. Sample size varied by the school size; for the 14 largest schools, we drew a random sample of all students, oversampling freshmen (n approximate to 750) so that we could recruit and follow a cohort to assess smoking onset during the college years. Of the remaining students, we sampled equivalent numbers of sophomores, juniors, and seniors (n=200 each). For the 16 schools with fewer than 1,350 students, we surveyed all students. We found overall smoking rates of 17.2%. Males (18.6%) were more likely to smoke than females (16.6%; p=.03), and public college students were more likely to smoke (20.5%) than those who attended private independent schools (18.9%; p=.61), whose rates were higher than those of private religious schools (11.6%; p=.001). Overall, college students are light smokers who do not smoke every day of the month. Further, they tend not to be highly dependent on tobacco, do not consider themselves regular smokers, and plan to quit before they graduate (56.8%). School type should be considered when estimating smoking rates among 4-year college students. Data indicate that college smokers wish and plan to quit before graduation, suggesting that efforts to assist smokers in quitting during the college years may be fruitful. Copyright 2007, Taylor & Francis.
|
