College was already a stressful time for many individuals, and COVID has added another major stress to change college life, highlighting the importance of stress management skills and increased cognitive resilience. The goals of the current study included (1) comparing stress, executive functioning (EF), resilience, alcohol use, and school…

High-risk sexual behaviors (HRSBs; e.g., having sex without protection against pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections) are a public health problem. HRSBs disproportionally impact college students and are associated with numerous negative outcomes, such as unwanted pregnancies. Alcohol use has been strongly linked to HRSBs in college…

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…

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…

The purpose of this dissertation study was to critically examine college student alcohol use in the context of the microenvironment of residence halls, the transition of the national minimum legal drinking age, and the attitudes and experiences of University of Iowa students who lived on campus from 1980 to 1995. The following research questions…

One of the most pressing concerns that universities and colleges face today is the drug and alcohol abuse of students. In order to address this, there is a need to strengthen university policies in order to mitigate the increasing rate and cases of drug and alcohol abuse among students. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the…

Traditional-age college students are continuing to live with their parents at higher percentages than at any time during recent history. However, little research has been conducted during the last 15 years on multiple substance use behaviors of this population and how those behaviors compare to traditional-age students who live in residence halls…

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…

Alcohol is the most widely abused substance among America's youth (Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). A significant portion of alcohol abuse occurs in college. College is often symbolized by a tradition of drinking that is entrenched in every level of a student's environment. The purpose of this study was to examine alcohol…

Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority group in the United States, but they are the most underserved population in terms of access to online health information. The specific aims of this descriptive, correlational study were to examine factors associated with online health information seeking behaviors of Hispanics and to examine the…

A problem facing American universities is heavy drinking by the student body which results in unintentional injuries and deaths, illegal offenses, sexual assault, altercations, and academic demise. The relationship between the type of alcohol policy enacted on campus and alcohol consumption among undergraduate students attending 4-year public…

The United States is a vehicle-dependent society and allows teens to obtain drivers licenses at age 16 or younger. Many factors have been linked to teen risky driving behaviors that resulted in teens receiving their first citations. This was the first study to investigate parental management of teens after they received their first citations…

It is common knowledge that many college students consume alcohol and/or binge drink. North Dakota colleges and universities are not immune to high levels of alcohol consumption, as they are among the leaders for binge drinking for people aged 18 to 25. Any number of reasons could explain this behavior, including new freedoms enjoyed by many 18 to…