Study reveals USU substance abuse
More than 700 Utah State University students are estimated to be addicted to or dependent on alcohol or drugs, according to the results of a survey presented in the Taggart Student Center Monday afternoon.
The survey was conducted in the spring of 2003 at eight Utah colleges with 568 valid responses being returned from USU. Stacey Eddings, a representative from Bach-Harrison, the Salt Lake City company who analyzed the data, said the purpose of the statewide survey was to increase awareness of where the problems are and how to improve and focus prevention programs.
“It’s always difficult because you are trying to prevent something before it happens,” Eddings said.
Survey results indicate about 4 percent, or around 715, of USU students need treatment for drug or alcohol problems.
“That’s 650 students potentially who need alcohol treatment. That puts the numbers back into a personal level,” Eddings said. “If there are 650 kids who need treatment, it makes you take notice.”
Jana Carling, prevention specialist at the Health and Wellness Center, said the most important piece of information that came out of the study was learning how many students potentially need treatment.
“When someone is suffering from that disease, they are not able to be successful in school or in their lives,” Carling said.
“I want students to know we’re here. For those 650 or more, we are here to help you. Our goal is not to tell people not to use alcohol but to teach people how to use responsibly, if that’s their choice, so they don’t become a harm to themselves or to others,” she said.
The number of students considered dependent was determined by the number of students who had used substances in question within 30 days, as well as their answers to questions dealing with mood swings, effectiveness in school, relationships, work and the frequency of substance use.
Eddings said, “Our hope is data can be used to plan for substance abuse prevention programs at the schools and to evaluate the success so we can see over time how we are dealing with these issues.”
Data from the survey also related the rates of substance abuse in relation to other universities in Utah as well as national averages. Overall, USU consistently reported lower drug and alcohol usage rates than both state and national statistics.
Eleven percent of USU students reported having taken at least one drink of alcohol in the last 30 days, compared with 15 percent of students statewide and about 69 percent of students nationally.
Methamphetamines were among the least used drugs with only .2 percent of USU students saying they had used them in the last year, and 1 and 1.2 percent of students reporting similar usage statewide and nationally.
Marijuana usage within 30 days was estimated to be 3.2 percent of USU students and 4.5 percent in Utah. Nationwide frequent marijuana use is at 19.7 percent.
There is a total college population statewide of more than 95,000 with more than 20,000 of them coming from USU.
Results were not only reported by school, but by class and gender distinctions as well. While nationally males tend to have higher substance abuse rates than females, the survey indicates there is very little distinction of use by gender at USU.
Carling said she was also surprised to find the survey reveal that freshmen have lower rates of substance abuse than other classes because typically substance abuse rates are highest among freshmen.
“Usually freshmen are at a greater risk because they have come to a new place, they are meeting new people and they are trying to fit in. They are more likely oft times to be the ones using or experimenting because they are wanting to connect with people and fit in,” Carling said.
Eddings said there is speculation at other universities that the freshman rates of substance abuse are higher than other classes because by sophomore and junior levels, those with severe problems have often dropped out.
“As grades go down, substance abuse goes up, and that’s true for binge drinking, alcohol, marijuana and any drug,” Eddings said.
The relationship between substance abuse and GPA is directly linear, something Eddings said happens very rarely in research.
“‘A’ students are doing very little binge drinking, very little alcohol, not that much tobacco, not that much marijuana, and not that much of any drug,” she said. “That could be either because kids who are having trouble, really struggling with school, are using substances to deal with the emotions associated with that, or because those kids are doing a lot of binge drinking or smoking marijuana and not studying.”
The survey also found students’ perceptions of substance abuse at USU are much higher than the reality. Twenty-eight percent of USU students said they thought most students use marijuana when actually 95 percent of USU students said they never use it. Actual alcohol use, even occasional, is just around 15 percent, but 86 percent of students think most students drink.
When asked if students felt substance abuse keeps them from enjoying events or interrupts their studying, 28 percent said “yes.”
“So basically students are saying they don’t like it. They don’t like it when other students are drinking,” Eddings said.
Students’ perceptions of alcohol and drug use were higher when asked how they perceived substance use in groups such as fraternities and sororities, but the study could not identify the actual substance abuse among those groups.
The study also found that 80 percent of USU students would support stricter drug and alcohol discipline, but only 61 percent of students think their peers would support similar actions. Only 47 percent of USU students think substance policies are enforced, and 10 percent say they don’t even know about the policies.
Sharon Thacker, a junior in the psychology program, said, “I thought it was fascinating about just how inflated the perception was of students thinking that so many other students were participating in alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, when in reality they really weren’t.”
Thacker hopes the information will help the Wellness Center to “know where to target prevention programs as far as what groups, where, or what classes, fraternities, sororities, and how to focus them.”
The survey also asked questions about satisfaction with life, church attendance and attitudes and behaviors. Married students, as well as those who attend church at least once a week, had the lowest rates of substance abuse.
“Church is a protective factor for your students,” Eddings said.
Overall, 11 percent were found to be at high risk for developing problems with substance abuse due to depressive behaviors and other risk factors.
Carling said the biggest obstacle in conducting the survey was finding enough students to take it, despite offering two $500 scholarships for participants.
“Students are busy,” she said. “They have a lot to do. They have a lot of responsibilities.”
Carling hopes lessons have been learned from this time around and is confident things will go smoother and will be able to learn even more from the next study, to be administered in the spring of 2005.
The Wellness Center will use the information to better plan prevention programs, Carling said.
“We hope to use the risk-and-protective-factor model to address prevention needs on our campus. We would like to use it and see it work so we can demonstrate to other colleges and universities a better way to do prevention.”
More information and the entire report can be viewed at www.hsdsa.ut.us under “statistics.”
bnelson@cc.usu.edu