Objective: Opioid use and the risk of opioid overdose are growing public health concerns for college-aged adults. Naloxone can temporarily reverse opioid overdoses, but only if easily accessible. On most college campuses, "blue light" phones (BLPs)--call boxes topped with a blue light--offer visible access to emergency services. We…

This study tests theories of social learning and strain to explain non-medical prescription drug use (NMPDU) among Latino college students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Logistic regression analyses indicate social learning and negative stressors help explain such usage, while refined models suggest that Latinos use of NMPD is primarily…

This study explored Appalachian school counselors' experiences responding to the ongoing opioid epidemic within their respective school communities, an underexplored topic in educational and school counseling research. In response to this gap, we utilized a transcendental phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of five school…

Objective: To examine undergraduate college students' attitudes toward 12-step support group utilization for opioid use disorder (OUD) and associations with previous experience with medications for OUD (MOUD). Participants: A convenience sample of undergraduate students at two major U.S. universities during Fall 2018 and Spring 2019. Method: A…

Objective: To identify academic factors pertaining to college students, calendar timing, and particular moments that are uniquely associated with elevated likelihood of prescription stimulant misuse (intentions and actual behavior) in daily life. Participants: Participants were 297 freshmen and sophomores at a large public university in the United…

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Wisconsin ranked third in the nation in 2019 in the percentage of adults who said they had engaged in binge drinking in the past month (21.9%). The situation is equally alarming when it comes to other forms of substance use disorders. According to DHS, between 2014 and 2020, Wisconsin…

Though "emergency" is a key concept in the field of education in emergencies, scholars and practitioners have long been ambivalent about this term and what conditions it can refer to. In this article, drawing from the work of anthropologist Janet Roitman, I critically revisit the concepts of emergency and crisis, and propose that…

Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50, a crisis that is driven by an increasingly potent supply of illicit opioids. College-aged adults are more likely than any other age group to engage in opioid misuse. Naloxone, the antidote for an opioid overdose, can save the life of an opioid overdose victim if it is…

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2022 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2020 subgroup data presented…

Little research has examined mechanisms driving cannabis use disparities among sexual minority (SM; versus heterosexual) young adults (YAs). Participants were US YA women (N = 1345; 24.8% bisexual, 6.1% lesbian) and men (N = 998: 8.9% bisexual, 13.8% gay). Bivariate analyses examined associations between sexual orientation (heterosexual,…

Suicide is a global public health concern. The interplay of the multiple risk factors (sexual violence victimization, prescription drug misuse, bullying experience) with adolescents' suicidal behaviors has not been studied extensively. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between sexual violence victimization, prescription drug…

This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to investigate the dynamics of leadership, management, and performance in the context of drug prevention within schools under local administrative organizations. The research pursues three main objectives: (1) to examine the key elements of…

Because of the long history of anti-drug policing in the United States and the criminalization of substance use, clients who use substances are vulnerable to direct and vicarious experiences of police violence. Consequently, those who use substances may face a greater risk of experiencing symptoms of trauma that counselors should address in…

The study explored the experiences of adolescent learners regarding drug abuse in previously disadvantaged townships in South Africa. A phenomenological research paradigm was employed, and an inductive research approach was implemented. The study followed a qualitative research design focusing on interviews and document analysis as data collection…

Despite the common perception of a decline over recent decades of adolescents' use of illicit drugs and alcohol, the recent exponential rise in teenage vaping has spotlighted how local and school communities must address this endemic public problem. Since use of illicit substance adversely affects adolescent development, it is imperative that…