Objective: This study examined joint trends over time in associations between substance use (heavy drinking, cannabis, and cigarette smoking) and mental health concerns (depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation) among US post-secondary students. Participants: Data came from 323,896 students participating in the Healthy Minds Study from 2009 to…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test whether COVID impact interacts with genetic risk (polygenic risk score/PRS) to predict alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms. Method: Participants were n = 455 college students (79.6% female, 51% European Ancestry/EA, 24% African Ancestry/AFR, 25% Americas Ancestry/AMER) from a longitudinal study…

Rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB, i.e., suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts), substance use, and bullying victimization are higher among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) youth compared to their heterosexual peers. However, research examining the interactive and potentially compounding associations of…

Purpose: This study explored differences between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)-housed and homeless students regarding substance use patterns on and off school grounds and the unique contribution of homelessness to substance use in school. Methods: Data were from the 2013-2015 California Healthy Kids Survey, a statewide survey of school…

Objective: Substance use peaks in emerging adulthood, with evidence suggesting that college-attending emerging adults have a higher rate of substance use than their non-college attending peers. More insight into the factors that might contribute to substance use among college-attending emerging adults is needed. The current study examined the…

Objective: Problem-drinking among university students is common and poses serious health-related risks. Therefore, identifying and addressing associated factors is important. Participants and methods: A large cross-sectional online-survey with 12,914 university students from Berlin was conducted from November 2016 to August 2017. Relative-risk-…

Objective: College campuses report alcohol and other drug policy violations as the most frequent reason students receive disciplinary referrals and, thus, are mandated to programming. This study sought to determine predictors of mandated students' alcohol use frequency, and the likelihood of early-onset alcohol using college students enrolled in…

This study explored substance use trajectories and associations with mental health among an ethnically/racially diverse college student sample before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We combined repeated cross-sections and panel data from a total of 3,247 college students assessed with an online survey in 2018, 2019, and in three waves in 2020.…

American Indians have among the highest prevalence rates for both substance use and obesity, yet there is a dearth of studies that have examined this relationship. We examined a subsample of American Indian adolescents (n=623), using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We examined the association between body mass index…

Objective: This study examined differences in substance use, depression, and academic functioning among ADHD and non-ADHD college students. Participants: Included 1,748 students (ages 18-25; women 68.4%; Caucasian 71.3%) with and without history of ADHD. Methods: We assessed the relationship of ADHD to substance use variables, controlling for…

Previous researchers have established the relationship between substance abuse and shame and religiosity/spirituality and shame. This study investigated the associations among shame, religiosity, spirituality, and drinking behavior in a college student sample (N = 310). Participants classified as hazardous drinkers reported higher levels of shame…

Purpose in life (PIL) promotes positive development and is associated with decreased substance use. However, to our knowledge, researchers have not investigated how different categories of PIL are associated with substance use behavior among youth. Therefore, we sought to explore categories of PIL and how they are related to substance use in a…

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…

Objective: Examine the association of health risk behavior clusters with mental health status among US college students. Participants: 105,781 US college students who completed the Spring 2011 National College Health Assessment. Methods: We utilized the latent class analysis to determine clustering of health risk behaviors (alcohol binge drinking,…

Background: It has been increasingly recognised that many offenders with intellectual disability (ID) have substance use issues, yet surprisingly little is known about the treatment needs of this population. Method: In order to explore pre-sentence patterns of substance use, the role of substance use in offending behaviour, and experience with…