The burden of alcohol use: excessive alcohol consumption and related consequences among college students.
01 Jan 2013-Vol. 35, Iss: 2, pp 201-218
TL;DR: Recent findings about the causes and consequences of excessive drinking among college students relative to their non-college peers are examined and many of the strategies used to collect and analyze relevant data are examined, as well as the inherent hurdles and limitations of such strategies.
Abstract: Research shows that multiple factors influence college drinking, from an individual’s genetic susceptibility to the positive and negative effects of alcohol, alcohol use during high school, campus norms related to drinking, expectations regarding the benefits and detrimental effects of drinking, penalties for underage drinking, parental attitudes about drinking while at college, whether one is member of a Greek organization or involved in athletics, and conditions within the larger community that determine how accessible and affordable alcohol is. Consequences of college drinking include missed classes and lower grades, injuries, sexual assaults, overdoses, memory blackouts, changes in brain function, lingering cognitive deficits, and death. This article examines recent findings about the causes and consequences of excessive drinking among college students relative to their non-college peers and many of the strategies used to collect and analyze relevant data, as well as the inherent hurdles and limitations of such strategies.
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TL;DR: Among emerging adults, a trend toward increased alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths, heavy episodic drinking, and alcohol-impaired driving between 1998 and 2005 was reversed by 2014, and persistent high levels of heavy episodical drinking and related problems among emerging adults underscore a need to expand individually oriented interventions, college/community collaborative programs, and evidence-supported policies to reduce their drinking.
Abstract: Objective:This article estimates percentages of U.S. emerging adults ages 18-24 engaging in past-month heavy episodic drinking and past-year alcohol-impaired driving, and numbers experiencing alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths and overdose hospitalizations between 1998 and 2014.Method:We analyzed national injury mortality data from coroner, census, and college enrollment statistics, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample.Results:From 1999 to 2005, percentages of emerging adults ages 18-24 reporting past-month heavy episodic drinking rose from 37.1% to 43.1% and then declined to 38.8% in 2014. Alcohol-impaired driving rose from 24% to 25.5% and then declined to 16.0%. Alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths increased from 4,807 in 1998 to 5,531 in 2005 and then declined to 4,105 in 2014, a reduction of 29% per 100,000 since 1998. Alcohol-related traffic deaths increased from 3,783 in 1998 to 4,114 in 2005 and then declinedto 2,614 in 2014, down 43% per ...
208 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on student well-being and found that participants in spring 2020 reported more mood disorder symptoms, perceived stress, and alcohol use than did pre-pandemic participants.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruption during the spring of 2020. Many college students were told to leave campus at spring break and to complete the semester remotely. This study evaluates effects of this disruption on student well-being. Measures of psychological symptoms, perceived stress, and alcohol use during the pandemic were completed by 148 students in spring 2020 and 352 students in fall 2020 at a university in the southeastern U.S. Results from both cohorts were compared to 240 students who completed the same measures in the fall 2019 semester. Participants in spring 2020 reported more mood disorder symptoms, perceived stress, and alcohol use than did pre-pandemic participants and worry about COVID-19 was negatively associated with well-being. By fall 2020 symptoms had largely returned to pre-pandemic levels. In general, White students reported a greater effect of the pandemic on well-being than did African American students. Young adults appear to be less vulnerable to the most serious medical complications associated with COVID-19, but nonetheless experience psychological effects from the pandemic. Universities and practitioners who work with college students can help young adults manage their symptoms and avoid behaviors like risky alcohol use when confronted with stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
204 citations
TL;DR: The central thesis of this review is that lasting neurobehavioral outcomes of these two adolescent exposure patterns may differ, and the potential efficacy of efforts directed toward delaying onset of alcohol use versus toward reducing high levels of use and risks associated with that use later in adolescence should be considered.
203 citations
Cites background from "The burden of alcohol use: excessiv..."
...Among college students, roughly 65% of them drink in a given month [87], yet most of the total amount of alcohol consumed by college students is consumed by binge drinkers, with N2/3rds of the alcohol consumed by the ~20% of college students that are frequent binge drinkers [84,85]....
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TL;DR: The number of harms that are causally related to substance use in young people warrant high-quality research design interventions to prevent or ameliorate these harms.
201 citations
TL;DR: Based on a national sample, self-reported diagnoses/treatment of several mental health conditions are increasing among college students and can aid college health professionals to engage institutional stakeholders regarding the resources needed to support college students’ MH.
Abstract: Objective: To examine changes in diagnoses/treatment for 12 mental health (MH) conditions, previous use of campus MH services, and willingness to seek MH services in the future. Participants: ACHA–...
198 citations
References
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01 Apr 2003
6,571 citations
TL;DR: Four clinical interview questions, the CAGE questions, have proved useful in helping to make a diagnosis of alcoholism and their use in clinical and research studies is described.
Abstract: Four clinical interview questions, the CAGE questions, have proved useful in helping to make a diagnosis of alcoholism. The questions focus on Cutting down, Annoyance by criticism, Guilty feeling, and Eye-openers. The acronym "CAGE" helps the physician to recall the questions. How these questions were identified and their use in clinical and research studies are described.
4,225 citations
TL;DR: Substance use disorders and mood and anxiety disorders that develop independently of intoxication and withdrawal are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the United States, suggesting that treatment for a comorbid mood or anxiety disorder should be withheld from individuals with substance use disorders.
Abstract: Background Uncertainties exist about the prevalence and comorbidity of substance use disorders and independent mood and anxiety disorders. Objective To present nationally representative data on the prevalence and comorbidity of DSM-IV alcohol and drug use disorders and independent mood and anxiety disorders (including only those that are not substance induced and that are not due to a general medical condition). Design Face-to-face survey. Setting The United States. Participants Household and group quarters' residents. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence and associations of substance use disorders and independent mood and anxiety disorders. Results The prevalences of 12-month DSM-IV independent mood and anxiety disorders in the US population were 9.21% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.78%-9.64%) and 11.08% (95% CI, 10.43%-11.73%), respectively. The rate of substance use disorders was 9.35% (95% CI, 8.86%-9.84%). Only a few individuals with mood or anxiety disorders were classified as having only substance-induced disorders. Associations between most substance use disorders and independent mood and anxiety disorders were positive and significant ( P Conclusions Substance use disorders and mood and anxiety disorders that develop independently of intoxication and withdrawal are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the United States. Associations between most substance use disorders and independent mood and anxiety disorders were overwhelmingly positive and significant, suggesting that treatment for a comorbid mood or anxiety disorder should not be withheld from individuals with substance use disorders.
2,617 citations
TL;DR: Estimates of the prevalence of male-male sex, injection drug use, and sexual contact with intravenous drug users were higher when audio-CASI was used and increased reporting was also found for several other risk behaviors.
Abstract: Surveys of risk behaviors have been hobbled by their reliance on respondents to report accurately about engaging in behaviors that are highly sensitive and may be illegal. An audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (audio-CASI) technology for measuring those behaviors was tested with 1690 respondents in the 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males. The respondents were randomly assigned to answer questions using either audio-CASI or a more traditional self-administered questionnaire. Estimates of the prevalence of male-male sex, injection drug use, and sexual contact with intravenous drug users were higher by factors of 3 or more when audio-CASI was used. Increased reporting was also found for several other risk behaviors.
2,084 citations
"The burden of alcohol use: excessiv..." refers background in this paper
...…feel more comfortable answering personal Page 15 of 79http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arcr352/201-218.htm questions truthfully when completing questionnaires electronically (Turner et al. 1998), which can lead to higher levels of self-reported substance use and other risky behaviors....
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TL;DR: Binge drinking is widespread on college campuses and programs aimed at reducing this problem should focus on frequent binge drinkers, refer them to treatment or educational programs, and emphasize the harm they cause for students who are not binge drinkers.
Abstract: Objective. —To examine the extent of binge drinking by college students and the ensuing health and behavioral problems that binge drinkers create for themselves and others on their campus. Design. —Self-administered survey mailed to a national representative sample of US 4-year college students. Setting. —One hundred forty US 4-year colleges in 1993. Participants. —A total of 17592 college students. Main Outcome Measures. —Self-reports of drinking behavior, alcohol-related health problems, and other problems. Results. —Almost half (44%) of college students responding to the survey were binge drinkers, including almost one fifth (19%) of the students who were frequent binge drinkers. Frequent binge drinkers are more likely to experience serious health and other consequences of their drinking behavior than other students. Almost half (47%) of the frequent binge drinkers experienced five or more different drinking-related problems, including injuries and engaging in unplanned sex, since the beginning of the school year. Most binge drinkers do not consider themselves to be problem drinkers and have not sought treatment for an alcohol problem. Binge drinkers create problems for classmates who are not binge drinkers. Students who are not binge drinkers at schools with higher binge rates were more likely than students at schools with lower binge rates to experience problems such as being pushed, hit, or assaulted or experiencing an unwanted sexual advance. Conclusions. —Binge drinking is widespread on college campuses. Programs aimed at reducing this problem should focus on frequent binge drinkers, refer them to treatment or educational programs, and emphasize the harm they cause for students who are not binge drinkers. (JAMA. 1994;272:1672-1677)
1,840 citations