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…

This dissertation-in-practice was designed to identify parental understanding of Internet addiction and technology usage among parents within a middle school in Velden, Austria. Research shows how important a parent's role is in preventing adolescent Internet addiction and the need to guide parents in helping their children find a positive balance…

Substance abuse continues to be a growing concern in America with more efforts to improve the overall quality of treatment for Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). A history of trauma experiences significantly increased the likelihood of an individual turning to substances to cope. However, psychological abuse remains understudied with its relation to…

As the global population continued to have broader Internet access, primarily through the rising use of smartphones, further study was needed regarding the symptoms and repercussions of Internet Addiction. A new term was coined for the levels of anxiety generated when a person was separated from their smartphone--nomophobia. The purpose of this…

Although there has been considerable empirical support for the effect of reflection, and specifically reflective activities, within the domain of transformative learning (Ballon & Skinner, 2008; King, 2004; Mezirow, 2012; Roessger, 2014; Taylor, 2017), there is a gap in the literature concerning the value of formal reflective activities when…

Historically, paraprofessionals and those trained outside the counseling field have provided addiction counseling services to people struggling with addictions. In 2009, CACREP introduced standardized addictions training for counselors. Within the CACREP standards, no formalized structure exists to guide addiction content integration into…

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…

Several challenges exist in the implementation of integrated care given that SUD/Addiction treatment has historically been segregated from the broader health care system (Office of the Surgeon General, 2016). One expression of the gap that persists is that for counselors who want to administer SUD/Addiction and mental health counseling, or…

Addiction has been conceptualized in various ways throughout history, leading to ongoing debates about its definition and the most effective approaches to treatment. While healthcare professionals and paraprofessionals have long been involved in addiction treatment, there remains a lack of consensus on the best practices for addressing addiction…

This program was developed to offer caretakers information and support in their role as gatekeepers for their children and preadolescent's consumption of technology. Information is offered via psychoeducation, research, and statistics concerning the trajectory and effects of unsupervised, passive, excessive, and/or counteractive interaction of…

This study with college and university emerging adult undergraduates (N = 189) aged 18-24 tested the social learning and flourishing theory hypotheses, examining to what extent the relationship between social networking addiction (SNA) and student-motivated strategies for learning are mediated by self-esteem (M1) and a sense of flourishing (M2).…

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA, 2015) more than one in three college students binge drinks, one in five uses an illicit substance, and one in seven meets the clinical criteria of having a substance abuse disorder. These surveys do not include items to determine if respondents are in recovery;…

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…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine (1) the predictive relationships of smartphone addiction, social networking sites usage, and the fear of missing out with academic achievement as measured by GPA in undergraduate students from 18 to 25 years of age using stepwise regression; (2) the correlation between levels of…