The international student population is a vital part of higher education in the United States (U.S.), grossing over one million individuals enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions within the 2019-2020 academic year alone (U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs [ECA], 2020). However, studies on collegiate mental…

Dangerous alcohol use, or binge drinking and alcohol use that results in significant negative consequences, is a major health concern in university populations. Research on graduate students' and Veteran students' alcohol use is limited. Using protective behavioral strategies (PBS) before or during alcohol use can attenuate the negative…

Childhood maltreatment is a major problem internationally, with millions of children affected (Cross & Hershkowitz, 2017), and abuse can lead to many long-term effects throughout the lifespan (Felitti et al., 1998). The current study aimed to better understand the long-term impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACES) on functioning in…

Prevalence and predictive factors in assessing alcohol use in the United States are understudied. This study addresses a population which has not been studied extensively in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to explore how acculturative stress, model-minority stereotype, gender, and religiosity predict alcohol use frequency in Punjabi Sikhs…

This study sought to examine the relationship between sleep, alcohol, and academic performance in undergraduate students. Previous research has demonstrated relationships between study variables, however, sleep quality has largely been ignored as it relates to alcohol consumption and academic performance together. This study sought to add to the…

The intention of this study was to better understand how certain aspects in a college student's life (i.e., perceived stress, styles of coping, and social support) or how combinations of these variables may contribute to higher levels of alcohol consumption. The present study examined the relationship between perceived stress, functional coping…

Underage drinking is a major problem in the United States, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. About 43,000 deaths a year result from binge drinking in youths at a cost of $24 billion in 2010 to the U.S. economy. The purpose of this quantitative dissertation was to examine the predictors of binge drinking in high school youths in a…

This three-article dissertation sought to explore the potential causal link of students' collegiate residence with three broad categories of student outcomes. Using data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, each article employed propensity score matching in an effort to reduce selection bias associated with a student's…

Adolescent risk-taking can potentially result in serious individual and societal consequences. Previous research demonstrates that emotional and behavioral problems, particularly externalizing behaviors, are significantly associated with an array of risky behaviors such as substance use, sexual behavior, injury, and violence. However, the…

The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that predict marijuana use and grade point average among undergraduate college students using the Core Institute national database. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was used to collect data on students' attitudes, beliefs, and experiences related to substance use in college. The sample used in this…

Previous studies on college alcohol use suggest that approximately 65-73 percent of college students drank alcohol within the past 30 days (Johnston, O'Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2011; Nelson, Xuan, Lee, Weitzman, & Wechsler, 2009). Researchers also suggest that with increasing levels of alcohol consumption, students are more likely…

Given the changing racial/ethnic composition of the United States, the impact of culture on adolescent health risk behaviors is an emerging and important issue. The purpose of the present study was to examine acculturation and ethnic identity and its impact on substance use, depression, and self-esteem in a sample of middle school students.…

This study consists of three sub-studies. Sub-study 1 and 2 attempted to incorporate environmental variables as precursor background variables of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict quitting-related intentions among Texas adult smokers and university student smokers, respectively. Sub-study 1 and 2 analyzed different data sets and were…

It is well established that there is an increase in substance use among college students. In the literature, this increase in use has been attributed to different personality factors, such as sensation seeking. However, what has not received sufficient attention is the possibility that the new peer groups, afforded by the transition to college,…

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States and results in approximately 79,000 deaths annually. College students are at particular risk of alcohol-related consequences due to their heavy drinking tendencies, with multiple studies indicating over 40%…