Alcohol abuse is a prevalent problem among college students, with negative consequences on academic performance, social interactions, and well-being. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and challenges of sobriety for recovering adults returning to college. Sociocultural theory was used to…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has highlighted the risk of non-users among college students using illegal prescription stimulants due to misinformation and incorrect assumptions. This qualitative study aimed to explore the perspectives of college students who do not use stimulants on perceived risks, social…

University students' smartphone usage in academic settings is commonplace. In this dissertation, I aim to explore different sides of smartphone usage among university students to address the gap in prior research and reach more accurate findings. I utilized various research methodologies to examine the research objective. I started by observing…

The advent of the Digital Age has brought with it the pervasive influx of technology, which has influenced every aspect of life, including that of the educational realm. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a connection exists between prolonged or frequent exposure to technology, specifically via smartphone usage, and issues such as…

The digital revolution of over twenty years has shifted how society communicates and the cellphone has become the most popular communication tool among adolescents. Consequently, cellphone use in the 21st century has extended to the classroom, and many educators are overwhelmed by students' unauthorized cellphone use. Researchers suggested…

This causal comparative study examines if Addiction Studies (AS) courses affect college students' knowledge and behaviors surrounding substance use. There are two focus areas of this study. First, to examine if AS courses predict a change in drug and alcohol use behaviors in college students. Second, to gain an understanding surrounding a drug and…

Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) are university-sanctioned initiatives for students in recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Given the ever-rising rates of alcohol and opioid use and misuse, a great need exists to understand how to provide support for those who are considering recovery or who choose a recovery lifestyle in college.…

As social technologies become more integrated into students' lives, new means of communication have emerged, along with novel problem behaviors with significant consequences for students' well-being. One of these is the sending of sexualized images via cell phone, referred to as "sexting." An understanding of how and why some students…

There is a great deal of literature to suggest that experiencing traumatic events in childhood often leads to problematic outcomes in adulthood. Not all individuals who experience such trauma, however, arrive at the same end point. The concept of resilience has been promoted as one of the ways in which individuals experiencing similar life events…

Research suggests that gambling is similar to addictive behaviors such as substance use. In the current study, gambling was investigated from a behavioral economics perspective. The Multiple Choice Procedure (MCP) with gambling as the target behavior was used to assess for relative reinforcing value, the effect of alternative reinforcers, and…

Internet pornography access among male students at Evangelical Christian colleges presents two dilemmas. First, Internet pornography access is institutionally prohibited based on a Biblical view of sexuality. The second dilemma is that individual students who choose to follow the teaching of Jesus Christ in the context of Evangelical Christian…

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether peer involvement, family involvement, media within the school campus, and cultural beliefs about college life were related to student involvement in risky behaviors, such as binge drinking, illicit drug use, risky sexual behavior, and problem gambling. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model was…