Objective: Study abroad students engage in problematic alcohol use, risky sexual activity, and maintain high risk for sexual assault; however, there is a lack of information about relevant prevention practices in study abroad programs. The purpose of this project was to understand the health and safety behaviors (HSBs) discussed with students…

College students transition from the parental home environment to the college environment. This study examined the transitioning role of parent/child relationships and religiosity in Christian college student heavy episodic drinking (HED). Analysis was conducted using data from a health-risk behavior survey administered on campus, n = 434.…

Background: Heavy drinking is linked to a number of deleterious consequences, many of which carry the possibility of regret: a negative cognitive emotion involving self-blame. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine who among undergraduates is most likely to experience alcohol-related regret. Method: Data were taken from an online…

Despite the fact that alcohol use by adolescents is publicly discouraged, alcohol plays an important role as a mediator of relationships between adolescents, and in the process of their becoming adults. Here I introduce the concept of situational abstinence -- refusing alcohol in certain situations while consuming it in others -- which offers a…

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.…

This study explores the relevance of the breathalyzer test as a harm reduction tool in outreach interventions implemented in nightlife environments. Specifically, it analyzes (i) gender and age differences on Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC); (ii) the association between BAC levels and expected effects and (iii) the relationship between BAC…

Research was conducted to determine if social capital influenced the norms of drinking and alcohol-related behavior amongst college students. A random sample survey was distributed to college students at a medium-sized regional university (N = 2600). A mixed-method design was used to examine the results, including correlation and regression…

Alcohol use is common among Vietnamese students. Previous qualitative findings showed Vietnamese medical students believed they were not binge drinkers while reporting many binge drinking occasions they participated in or witnessed. This dichotomy warrants examination. This study aims to establish drinking patterns and examine the factors…

Understanding the relationship between cognitive and behavioral processes and long-term behavior change is critical to developing behavior change maintenance interventions. We examined the relationship between cognitive and behavioral safer sex maintenance strategies and condomless vaginal/anal sex with clients among female sex workers (FSWs) in…

Among adolescents (ages 12-17) and young adults (ages 18-25) enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), 0.5% of adolescents had opioid use disorder (OUD), 3.0% had other risky opioid use, 3.4% had another substance use disorder, and 21.6% used other substances without disorder. Compared to adolescents, the prevalence…

Many universities have pre-departure programs that aim to prevent alcohol misuse and sexual assault among college students abroad, yet little is known about students' uptake of this preventative information. In this study, 2,245 study abroad students from 63 different institutions were asked about receiving pre-departure alcohol/drug and sexual…

Background: Email surveys of health behaviors are convenient and low cost, but concerns remain regarding data accuracy and implications for health promotion. Purpose: Compare the accuracy of email-collected survey data with classroom-collected data on college students' alcohol use, and compare strategies for addressing inaccuracies, including…

Aims: This study compares the incidence and risk-markers of student alcohol intoxication-related emergency department (ED) visits and alcohol-related incidents reported to student affairs. Methods: Enrollment data were linked to ED visits with alcohol intoxication and to alcohol-related incidents reported to campus authorities within one year…

Background: The success of public health campaigns to engender healthy behavior depends on effective communication of desired messages that inspire action utilizing health information that must be successfully understood. Research, however, illustrates that health guidelines are differentially interpreted, with health literacy and proclivities…

Montana is proud to have completed over three decades of participation in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). These results are valuable to educators, school boards, and communities, including parents and students, in understanding the health risks of Montana students, enabling districts to design local health and physical education curriculum…