Changing the Culture of Alcohol Abuse on Campus: Lessons Learned From Secondhand Smoke

ABSTRACT

Alcohol abuse is the single greatest public health hazard on American college and university campuses, but the culture of abusive alcohol consumption continues to be highly resistant to change. The author argues that secondhand smoke campaigns can be used as models to change the culture of alcohol abuse on campus. He proposes the implementation of “secondhand alcohol” campaigns and describes their essential components and advantages.     

Antecedents and correlates of alcohol, cocaine, and alcohol-cocaine abuse in early adulthood

We used a fourfold substance abuse typology consisting of non-abusers, alcohol abusers, cocaine abusers, and joint alcohol and cocaine abusers with a nationally representative sample of young adults (aged 19-26 years) to investigate issues related to prevalence, antecedents, and correlates of substance abuse. The prevalence data indicate higher alcohol abuse among white males, but approximately equal proportions of cocaine abuse and joint alcohol and cocaine abuse across gender and ethnic/racial groups. A simplex-like ordering was found for the four abuse groups with regard to the degree of problem severity associated with most of the antecedents and correlates. Joint alcohol and cocaine abusers demonstrated the highest levels of previous thirty-day and lifetime drug use, high levels of delinquent activity, and the highest rates of unemployment and marital instability. Cocaine abusers demonstrated the second highest levels of problem severity, alcohol abusers the third highest levels, and non-abusers the lowest levels. An exception to the simplex-like pattern was found with respect to educational attainment and verbal intelligence. Joint alcohol and cocaine abusers reported the lowest high school dropout rate and scored the highest on a measure of verbal intelligence. We suggest that joint alcohol and cocaine abusers may be characterized as "non-strivers" or "underachievers," quite possibly as a consequence of substance abuse.     

Perceptions About Residence Hall Wingmates and Alcohol-Related Secondhand Effects Among College Freshmen

Objective: The authors examined the secondhand effects among college freshmen of others' alcohol use and related student characteristics, and perceptions about residence hallmates.

Participants: The authors surveyed 509 incoming freshmen residing in predominantly freshman residence halls.

Methods: The authors administered a Web-based survey 2 months into the 2006 fall academic semester.

Results: Most (80%) students experienced at least 1 secondhand effect. Participants' perceptions of wingmates' acceptance and expectation of alcohol use and participants' perceived inability to protect themselves against alcohol problems were related to experiencing secondhand effects, as were being a female and a drinker.

Conclusions: Incoming college freshmen frequently experienced secondhand effects of alcohol use. Involving residence halls in norms-based interventions aimed at reducing secondhand effects warrants evaluation. Further research is also needed to examine skill building among college students to avoid and intervene into others' drinking and to examine resident advisor roles as both engenderers of trust and cooperation as well as enforcers of alcohol rules.     

Perceptions of drinking among Hispanic college students: how qualitative research can inform the development of collegiate alcohol abuse prevention programs

Alcohol abuse on college campuses continues to be a significant public health issue and health promotion strategies are being directed at changing the culture of collegiate drinking. From a qualitative research perspective such efforts remain uniformed since this area of research is currently dominated by large-scale surveys that illuminate little regarding undergraduate perceptions of alcohol use. This study describes results conducted on perceptions of drinking among college students, and discusses the implications these results may have for developing collegiate alcohol abuse prevention programs.     

Alcohol misuse among college athletes: self-medication for psychiatric symptoms?

A collegiate athlete population was surveyed for alcohol abuse as well as self-reported depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric symptoms. This study revealed that in a group of 262 athletes there were 21 percent who reported high alcohol use and problems associated with its use. Significant correlations were found between reported alcohol abuse and self-reported symptoms of depression and general psychiatric symptoms. Subjects with positive depression and psychiatric symptom ratings in the "severe" range had a significantly higher rate of alcohol abuse than subjects who had low depression and low or mild symptom ratings. Conversely, subjects reporting higher rates of alcohol misuse had more psychiatric symptoms. These findings suggest a possible causal link between psychopathology and serious alcohol abuse among college athletes. They also point to the need for routine depression and anxiety screening in college students who are typically beginning a significant exposure to alcohol.     

Exploring the association between alcohol,marijuana, and secondhand effects with rural college students

ABSTRACT

The current study investigated the association between secondhand effects and personal consequences with substance use in a sample of rural college students (N = 412; 55.1% women; 92.2% white/non-Hispanic). The study extends the body of secondhand effects research by (a) investigating the association of marijuana use with the experience of secondhand effects; (b) examining the association of onset risk of substance use (< 18 years old) with the experience of secondhand effects; (c) exploring the multiplicity of experienced effects associated with substance use by employing a four-category typology that exhaustively represents exposure to secondhand effects and personal consequences. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the data. The majority of students (90.3%) experienced undesirable effects from substance use, with 15% reporting only secondhand effects, 28.5% only personal consequences, and 46.8% reporting both secondhand effects and personal consequences. Residing on-campus, onset risk, and past 30-day alcohol or marijuana use increased risk for experiencing personal consequences and the combination of secondhand effects and personal consequences. Secondhand effects are likely to compound the harm for substance users because they often experience both secondhand effects and personal consequences.     

Eating Disorders and Additional Psychopathology in Women

Eating disordered individuals are often found to exhibit additional psychopathology such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and "borderline symptoms" such as self-injury and suicidality. This pilot study examined 535 female subjects with eating disorders to determine the relationship between such additional psychopathology and a prior history of sexual abuse. While few differences were found on general psychiatric/psychological symptoms as measured by the SCL-90-R, subjects that reported a history of sexual abuse were found to have more prior suicide attempts and hospitalizations, and more frequent self-injury and alcohol problems. These findings suggest that symptoms seen in some eating disorder patients that are frequently described as "borderline" may be indicators for a history of sexual abuse.     

"Natural recovery" from alcohol abuse among college students

As they progress through college, a significant number of students reduce their abusive alcohol consumption without formal interventions on the part of the university, other agencies, or counseling/mental health services. Such "natural recovery" may offer important clues as to both the etiology and reduction of alcohol abuse on campus. The author reviews factors hypothesized to play a significant role in facilitating natural recovery and offers suggestions about how such findings might be used to shape campus structures and activities so as to reduce excessive alcohol consumption by college students.     

"Natural Recovery" From Alcohol Abuse Among College Students

As they progress through college, a significant number of students reduce their abusive alcohol consumption without formal interventions on the part of the university, other agencies, or counseling/mental health services. Such "natural recovery" may offer important clues as to both the etiology and reduction of alcohol abuse on campus. The author reviews factors hypothesized to play a significant role in facilitating natural recovery and offers suggestions about how such findings might be used to shape campus structures and activities so as to reduce excessive alcohol consumption by college students.     

Sexual victimization and substance abuse in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents

This article investigates the relationship between substance abuse and sexual abuse in a population of 260 psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Seven hypotheses are set forth to test a model that uses parental alcohol abuse, sexual abuse status, and gender as exogenous variables, perceived benefit of alcohol or drugs as an endogenous mediating variable, and substance abuse as the dependent variable. Using these variables, a path model was constructed and revised based on empirical testing. The revised model achieved an adjusted R2 of .38, thus explaining 38 percent of the variance in this sample's abuse of alcohol or drugs. The model suggests that within clinical populations, sexually abused adolescents should be screened for substance abuse, and attention should be given to parental alcohol abuse as well as the degree to which adolescents perceive benefits from their alcohol or drug use.     

Preventing alcohol abuse: an examination of the "Downward Spiral" game and educational videos

Downward Spiral is a board game developed by the authors to illustrate the dangers of continued substance abuse. Previous work has found that college students and probationers find the game interesting, enjoyable, useful, and realistic [1]. In the current study, college students either played Downward Spiral, watched educational videos on substance abuse, or completed a set of questionnaires unrelated to alcohol and drug abuse. Those students who either played the game or watched the videos rated both as beneficial. However, students who watched videos had somewhat higher levels of consumer satisfaction. Students who played the game rated it as smoother, and they felt more positive following the session than students who watched videos. Both videos and the game increased students' intentions to limit alcohol consumption compared to students who served as controls. Individuals in the game group also indicated significantly greater intentions to change their alcohol behavior than those in the other groups.     

EMOTIONAL ABUSE AND CONTROLLING BEHAVIORS IN HETEROSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS: THE ROLE OF EMPLOYMENT AND ALCOHOL USE FOR WOMEN AND THEIR PARTNERS

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of economic resources, status compatibility, and alcohol consumption on forms of nonphysical abuse, such as controlling and emotional abuse. Specifically, we focus on the connections between women's employment, the employment of their partners, alcohol use, and women's risk of abuse in intimate relationships. We hypothesize that women in intimate relationships with men will experience more emotional abuse to the extent that they are economically vulnerable. Moreover, abuse should increase if their employment status, in relation to that of their partner, challenges the man's marital power. Moreover, alcohol use by women and/or their partners is also predicted to be associated with emotional abuse. We find some support for assertions that socioeconomic deprivation, as well as challenges to men's masculinity, is associated with emotionally abusive male partners. However, the prevalence and amount of alcohol use by the male partner stands out as the most consistent predictor of emotional abuse in heterosexual relationships.     

Effects of a social norm feedback campaign on the drinking norms and behavior of Division I student-athletes

Social norm feedback is a promising strategy for reducing alcohol misuse on college campuses. However, little is known about the impact of these interventions on at-risk populations, such as student-athletes. This study examined the effects of a campus-wide media campaign on Division I student-athletes at three universities. A discriminant function analysis revealed that a composite measure of perceived campus drinking norms distinguished between two campaign exposure groups. With the exception of one perceived norm measure (closest friends), the campaign-exposed group reported more conservative estimates of alcohol use in peers. However, there was no evidence that the campaign had reduced alcohol use. The inability of the campaign to reduce perceptions of alcohol use among one's closest friends may have accounted for the lack of change in drinking behavior. Discussion is directed to the potential limitations of using social norm feedback campaigns to reduce alcohol misuse in high-risk groups, such as student-athletes.     

Social work with vulnerable families and children in 11 Russian regions

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to describe and analyse how key actors in the social sector in Russian regions identify problems, objectives and social work achievements in connection with vulnerable families and children.

Methods. University personnel conducted 209 interviews using semi-structured questionnaires.

Results. Family problems were reported to be related to poverty, parents’ alcohol abuse, the child's behaviour, the child's lack of social skills, domestic conflicts and problems getting adequate housing. The view of the majority of the respondents was that social orphanhood depends on poverty, alcohol abuse and the family's diminished role in society. Family incomes have improved but services have become more expensive. The social workers mostly put the child, not the family, in focus. Alcohol abuse was considered to be a greater problem in wealthier regions. Analyses between key groups showed that the respondents ranked problems differently, had similar ways of defining important objectives, but had divergent opinions on what social work could achieve concerning, for example, re-establishing the child's contacts with his/her biological parents.

Conclusions. The respondents seem to be highly ambivalent toward alcohol abuse as a social problem and toward biological parents in vulnerable families. Social work in the regions is a profession in the process of formation.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of a school drug and alcohol prevention curriculum: a new look at "Here's Looking at You, Two"

The article reports on the results of an evaluation of a school drug and alcohol prevention curriculum marketed under the title, "Here's Looking at You, Two." Previous evaluations, unreported in the literature and having unresolved methodological problems, have found that while the program appears effective at transmitting information regarding drug and alcohol abuse, it has not been effective at changing the underlying attitudes and behaviors that, in part, explain substance abuse. Employing a more rigorous methodology, our examination of a relatively large sample across five school districts provides support for previous findings. Over the short-term of one year, the program was particularly effective at transmitting substance information to primary and middle school students. The program, however, produced very little of the expected effect on the underlying attitudes that are critical to changing substance abuse behaviors.     

Heavy drinking on college campuses: no reason to change minimum legal drinking age of 21

The recent Amethyst Initiative argues that a minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of 21 has created a culture of heavy alcohol use on college campuses by making drinking clandestine and extreme. This group and others argue that lowering the MLDA will reduce the problem of "binge drinking" on college campuses. However, such a policy change would remove one of the most researched and supported policies in the nation's alcohol control arsenal. There is little evidence that other interventions or policies are capable of working on the same broad level as MLDA 21, and there could also be a deleterious ripple effect in related legislation because MLDA 21 works in conjunction with other drinking laws. In addition, historic and international experiences with a lowered MLDA indicate there are serious social and public health consequences. Instead of removing efficacious interventions, we must remain committed to implementing and enforcing evidence-based practices and legislation.     

Fathers' alcohol use and spousal abuse and mothers' child abuse in multicultural families in South Korea: The mediating role of acculturation and parenting stress

There is a potential high risk for child abuse by foreign-born mothers in multicultural families in Korea, particularly given that they experience acculturation and parenting stress at the same time. Further, the risk for child abuse by foreign-born mothers may be aggravated through the high rate of alcohol abuse among Korean husbands that may increase their spousal abuse and in turn the mothers' acculturation and parenting stress. Therefore, this study examined the associations between Korean fathers' alcohol use and spousal abuse and foreign-born mothers' child abuse in multicultural families, with particular attention to investigating whether foreign-born mothers' acculturation and parenting stress mediated the associations. This study overall found that fathers' alcohol use was directly associated with their spousal abuse, and that fathers' spousal abuse was directly associated with mothers' acculturation stress and child abuse. Further, this study found a full mediation path in which fathers' alcohol use was associated with mothers' child abuse through fathers' spousal abuse. Fathers' spousal abuse was also associated with mothers' parenting stress through mothers' acculturation stress, and mothers' acculturation stress was associated with their child abuse through their parenting stress. The findings of this study provide social work implications for child abuse in multicultural families in Korea.     

Correlates of drinking and drug use by higher education faculty and staff: implications for prevention

The prevalence and frequency of drug and alcohol abuse among higher education faculty and staff is not known. Higher education is a cultural environment which, on the one hand, is stressful and, on the other, permits a high degree of autonomy. This relationship of stress and autonomy is predicted to produce drug and alcohol abuse. Information is gathered by anonymous, self-report questionnaires, on the frequency and prevalence of faculty and staff drug and alcohol use at a regional university. Responses show alcohol and drug use within the last year and month among four higher education occupational groups: faculty, administrators, clerical staff, and physical plant/custodial staff. While stress was found to be weakly correlated with some drug use in the last month, depression was consistently correlated with drug use and moderately correlated with suicidal thoughts and tendencies, as well as job dissatisfaction. Drug and alcohol abuse is a factor in behavioral problems that affect faculty/staff and can be addressed through Employee Assistance Programs.     

Predictors of alcohol abuse behaviors of undergraduates

A representative sample of 713 Mary Washington College undergraduates responded to questions about alcohol effects, their own alcohol use, and their beliefs about the risks associated with alcohol use for college students in general and for themselves in particular. Item correlations suggested four indexes: personal risk of abuse, personal risk of alcohol-related misfortune, alcohol consumption, and alcohol abuse. Knowledge did not predict reduced use or abuse patterns, nor did perceived risk of abuse for students in general. Abuse, consumption and personal risk of abuse were all positively intercorrelated. However, personal risk of alcohol-related misfortune was negatively correlated with all other indexes. These findings have important implications for programs to reduce alcohol abuse among young people.     

Hiding behind the cloth:child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church

The existence of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church has shocked many. In this article, the authors review the history of child sexual abuse in the church, the recent events that brought this tragedy into societal consciousness, and the efforts by the church to conceal the abuse. Two sources of empirical literature, the general psychological writing on priest sex abuse and the psychoanalytic literature, on child sexual abuse are compared. Both sources of literature seek explanation for priests' child sexual abuse within the structure and culture of the church rather than viewing the priest as a "typical" sex predator. The authors argue that, in fact, the guilty priests are child predators who differ little from other child predators.