Background: Drug use is common and positively correlates with depression and suicidality. Drug users are highly stigmatized, as society associates shame, blame, incompetency, punishment, and criminality with these individuals. These societal views can become internalized and projected onto the self (i.e. self-stigma). Self-stigma is associated…

When trying to prevent deaths from alcohol overdose, potentially intoxicated companions of the inebriated person must know when to intervene. The current project examined the relation between intoxication level and the signs of alcohol poisoning. In a local bar district, interviewers asked college students (N = 178; 52% female students) to…

This systematic review summarizes the extant literature concerning college students and alcohol mixed with energy drink (AmED) consumption. Inclusion criteria incorporated studies that reported on AmED consumption, along with attitudes and perceptions of energy drink and AmED use among United States college students ages 18-25. The search yielded…

Research was conducted to determine if social capital influenced the norms of drinking and alcohol-related behavior amongst college students. A random sample survey was distributed to college students at a medium-sized regional university (N = 2600). A mixed-method design was used to examine the results, including correlation and regression…

The aim was to examine the theoretical constructs and psychometric structure of the Protective Behavioural Strategies Scale (PBSS). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA) were conducted on data from two studies. Only data from registered university students (18-25 years) were included. EFA supported a two-factor solution for the…

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contribution of the maturity of moral judgment on cannabis use among college students. Participants were 1572 college students who completed self-report questionnaires measuring cannabis use, maturity of moral judgment, and emotional and personality variables. Thirty five percent of men and 30% of…

In this paper, we examined the extent to which one's own religiosity, as well as that of her or his peers, has on alcohol and substance use among undergraduate students at a medium-sized public university in the south-eastern United States. Findings indicate that though peer religiosity significantly affects substance use, one's own religiosity is…

This research study examined the relationship of college athletes' levels of campus involvement and campus connection to their alcohol use. A survey measuring alcohol use, campus involvement and campus connection was administered to 720 athletes at nine institutions. Participants who reported having 5 or more drinks on one occasion in the past two…

The purpose of this study was to determine if use of protective behavioral strategies mediated the relationship between conscientiousness and alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Participants were 186 college students at a state university campus in the Northeastern United States participating in a study examining the effectiveness of a brief…

In the present study we advance previous research in deterrence theory by examining the perceived deterrent effects of a newly instituted dry policy on a college campus. A survey of 500 full-time undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 26 was conducted 3 months following the ban on alcohol. Hypotheses are derived from deterrence theory…

An intervention to reduce college alcohol use and secondhand effects was tested. Freshmen dormitory wings at a large Mid-Atlantic public university were assigned to single-gender (SG) or mixed-gender (MG) Information-Motivation-Behavior (IMB) workshops implemented during the first weeks of school, or a control condition. Students were surveyed…

Using a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from 265 first-year college students to determine if parent-student alcohol communication is associated with college drinking or drinking consequences and if this relationship is mediated by students' parental subjective norms, attitudes toward drinking, and perceived risk. Structural equation…

Use of marijuana and alcohol among current college students (N = 1101) was compared to the perceptions and use of entering freshmen (N = 481) surveyed before the start of classes. Entering freshmen significantly misperceived campus norms for marijuana use, over-estimating that almost every student used in the last 30 days, p less than 0.001.…

Drinking increases the risk of elevated blood pressure, a risk factor for chronic ailments such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The experience of elevated blood pressure in young adulthood may be critical for the development of these diseases later in life. College campuses are venues replete with young adults, and drinking is a…

The phenomenology of college students' conceptualization of the relations between alcohol and sex are surprisingly understudied. Undergraduates rank among the most-studied populations, yet extant research largely relies on quantitative methods, which are constrained in their ability to give participants a "voice." The current study used focus…