The Association Between Parent Communication and College Freshmen\u27s Alcohol Use

Using a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from 265 first-year college students to determine if parent-student alcohol communication is associated with college drinking or drinking consequences and if this relationship is mediated by students’ parental subjective norms, attitudes toward drinking, and perceived risk. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Students whose parents talked with them more about the negative effects of alcohol reported more extensive college drinking (ß = 0.12, p \u3c 0.05). Favorable alcohol attitudes were significantly related to both more extensive college drinking (ß = 0.49, p \u3c 0.05) and more drinking consequences (ß = 0.39, p \u3c 0.05). Lower reported perceived risk was significantly related to more drinking consequences (ß = –0.24, p \u3c 0.05). Findings indicate that parental communication regarding the negative effects of alcohol may be ineffective at reducing college drinking or drinking consequences

Professional Expectations of Provider LGBTQ Competence: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

Introduction: Mental and behavioral health professional organizations use their governing documents to set expectations of provider competence in working with LGBTQ+ clients. Method: The codes of ethics and training program accreditation guidelines of nine mental and behavioral health disciplines (n=16) were analyzed using template analysis. Results: Coding resulted in fives themes: mission and values, direct practice, clinician education, culturally competent professional development, and advocacy. Expectations for provider competency vary greatly across disciplines. Conclusion: Having a mental and behavioral health workforce that is uniformly competent in meeting the unique needs of LGBTQ populations is key for supporting the mental and behavioral health of LGBTQ persons.This work was supported by the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (grant U48DP006382). N.D.W. also acknowledges support from the Southern Regional Education Board and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars Program. J.N.F. also acknowledges support from the Maryland Population Research Center, by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant P2CHD041041). This work does not expressly represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

What motivates community mental and behavioral health organizations to participate in LGBTQ+ cultural competency trainings?

LGBTQ+ populations show elevated rates of poor mental health and substance use relative to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts but often experience stigma and marginalization when seeking mental health care. Mental and behavioral health organizations and therapists recognize a need for LGBTQ+ cultural competency training opportunities and are interested in participating in these trainings. Professional organizations and state licensing bodies should consider policies that require accredited graduate programs and continuing education opportunities to include LGBTQ+ training and competencies.The constantly evolving language, understanding, and cultural context regarding the mental health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender diverse individuals (LGBTQ+) require mental health providers to obtain LGBTQ+ cultural competency training to be affirmative and effective with this population. Unfortunately, many providers are not obtaining this ongoing training and mental health disparities continue to plague LGBTQ+ populations. Guided by the Consolidation Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we conducted eight focus groups with community mental and behavioral health organization (MBHO) administrators (e.g., directors, clinical supervisors) and therapists to explore what factors facilitated or inhibited their adoption and implementation of a multicomponent LGBTQ+ cultural competency training program that required administrator and therapist participation in multiple learning sessions over several months (i.e., workshop, clinical consultation, and organizational technical assistance). Results from template analysis supported CFIR-aligned themes, including characteristics of individuals, inner setting, outer setting, and process, and two additional codes—marketing and other/previous training opportunities—emerged from the focus group data. Findings suggest that therapists are motivated to engage in such a program because they want to feel more efficacious, and administrators see the benefits of LGBTQ+ training programs for their clientele and marketing. Barriers to adoption and implementation include cost and personnel resistance, although participants believed these barriers were surmountable. Emphasizing therapist efficacy, clientele need, and benefits for marketing mental and behavioral health services could motivate MBHOs’ and therapists’ adoption and implementation of LGBTQ+ cultural competency training.This work was supported by the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center cooperative agreement no. U48DP006382 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Any interpretations and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and may not reflect those of the CDC

Comparison of Student Self-Reported and Administrative Data Regarding Intercession Into Alcohol Misuse Among College Freshmen Dormitory Residents

Intercession into collegiate alcohol misuse by the Department of Resident Life (DRL) in freshmen dormitories at one large Mid-Atlantic, diverse, public university was examined. Freshmen dormitory resident drinkers (n = 357), 71% of whom reported alcohol misuse, were surveyed. Student self-report and DRL documentation, respectively, revealed that 6.4% and 7.8% (κ = .77) of drinkers were documented with an alcohol violation, 4.2% and 3.4% (κ = .81) lost housing priority points, 1.4% and .6% (κ = .28) were referred for alcohol counseling, and 1.4% and .3% (κ = .33) were taken to the emergency room. DRL infrequently interceded into alcohol misuse, perhaps because most misuse occurred off campus

Perceptions About Residence Hall Wingmates and Alcohol-Related Secondhand Effects Among College Freshmen

Objective: The authors examined the secondhand effects among college freshmen of others\u27 alcohol use and related student characteristics, and perceptions about residence hallmates. Participants: The authors surveyed 509 incoming freshmen residing in predominantly freshman residence halls. Methods: The authors administered a Web-based survey 2 months into the 2006 fall academic semester. Results: Most (80%) students experienced at least 1 secondhand effect. Participants\u27 perceptions of wingmates\u27 acceptance and expectation of alcohol use and participants\u27 perceived inability to protect themselves against alcohol problems were related to experiencing secondhand effects, as were being a female and a drinker. Conclusions: Incoming college freshmen frequently experienced secondhand effects of alcohol use. Involving residence halls in norms-based interventions aimed at reducing secondhand effects warrants evaluation. Further research is also needed to examine skill building among college students to avoid and intervene into others\u27 drinking and to examine resident advisor roles as both engenderers of trust and cooperation as well as enforcers of alcohol rules

Drinking Motivations and Experiences of Unwanted Sexual Advances Among Undergraduate Students

This study examined the relationship between drinking motivations and college students\u27 experiences with unwanted sexual advances. Undergraduates, from a public university in the mid-Atlantic region, who reported recent (30 day) alcohol use ( n = 289) completed an online survey midway through the spring 2007 academic semester. Experiencing an unwanted sexual advance was the outcome of interest for the present study. The independent variables included sociodemographics and a three-factor (social ease, social image or reputation, emotional distress) drinking motivation measure. Prevalence estimates as well as unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (OR) were produced. A strong relationship was found between having an unwanted sexual advance and recent binge drinking as well as drinking to remove emotional distress (OR = 3.40 and 2.73, respectively, for the total sample; OR = 7.27 and 2.82 for females). Findings suggest that experiencing an unwanted sexual advance is associated with specific drinking motivations and more likely to occur among females. Further research is needed to fully understand pathways and implications

Drinking to Get Drunk Among Incoming Freshmen College Students

The consumption of alcohol is ubiquitous on many college and university campuses. For some freshmen students, drinking may even be considered a “right of passage.” Purpose: This study examined college freshmen who intentionally drink alcohol to get drunk (DTGD). Methods: Survey data from 307 incoming freshmen college students living in freshmen residence halls who reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days were analyzed. Results: The majority (76.9%) of these self-reported drinkers reported DTGD. Relative to other freshmen drinkers, those who reported DTGD were significantly more likely to have consumed alcohol before going out to a party or bar, participated in a drinking game, drank heavily on a non-school night but not on a school night, used liquor, used beer, combined alcohol and drugs, experienced a hangover, vomited, passed out, and/or blacked out. Discussion: The associations support DTGD as a measure of pre-meditated, controlled and intentional consumption of alcohol to reach a state of inebriation. Translation to Health Education Practice: Common intentional drunkenness as observed in this study population may have implications for college alcohol risk reduction programs

Predictors of Intent to Pursue a College Health Science Education among High Achieving Minority 10th Graders

Minority populations are underrepresented in fields of science, perhaps limiting scientific perspectives.  Informed by recent studies using social cognitive career theory, this study examined whether three conceptual constructs: self-efficacy, perceived adult support, and perceived barriers, along with several discrete and immutable variables, were associated with intent to pursue college health science education in a sample (N = 134) of minority youth (67.2% African American).  A paper-and-pencil survey about pursuit of college health science was administered to 10th graders with a B- or better grade point average from six high schools in an underserved community.  Results indicated that the three conceptual constructs were bivariate correlates of intent to pursue college health science.  Only perceived adult support and knowing whether a parent received college education were significant predictors in a multiple regression model.  These results build on previous research and provide further insight into youth decision-making regarding pursuit of college health science

Impact of the Peers as Family Dormitory Wing-Based Intervention on College Student Alcohol Use and its Secondhand Effects

An intervention to reduce college alcohol use and secondhand effects was tested. Freshmen dormitory wings at a large Mid-Atlantic public university were assigned to single-gender (SG) or mixed-gender (MG) Information-Motivation-Behavior (IMB) workshops implemented during the first weeks of school, or a control condition. Students were surveyed before school began and at 2- and 6-month follow-up. Analyses indicated that, among males, the adjusted mean weekly alcohol use was lower in the SG than the control condition (1.89 vs. 2.72, p = .041). Among females, the adjusted mean weekly alcohol use was lower in the MG than the SG (1.60 vs. 2.44, p = .021) and control condition (1.60 vs. 2.27, p = .056). Further research should identify underlying mechanisms for effective alcohol behavior change among male and female wing-mates