Human resource issues in university health services.

To provide first-rate services to students, college health services need the best possible staff. Managers and supervisors play a critical role in guiding the work of their employees so as to enhance performance. Reference checks for new employees and regular performance appraisal dialogues for ongoing employees are important tools in this process. The author discusses these issues and suggests formats for reference checks and performance appraisals.

Misperceptions of the norms for the frequency of alcohol and other drug use on college campuses.

Data from surveys of students representing 100 diverse college campuses were used to investigate the difference between the self-reported frequency of a drug's use and students' perceptions of the frequency of use. Students were asked about the frequency of their own use of 11 drugs (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, sedatives, hallucinogens, opiates, inhalants, designer drugs, and steroids) and how often they thought "the average student" on their campus used these drugs. Respondents typically misperceived their peer norms (designated as the median of self-reported use) by substantially overestimating how often the average student used each drug, both in campus samples where abstinence or infrequent use were the median of self-reports and in samples where the median of self-reports revealed more frequent use. To the extent that they may promote or reinforce students' actual use, these misperceptions should be considered in designing college drug prevention programs.

Alcohol use and related consequences among students with varying levels of involvement in college athletics.

Alcohol use, binge drinking, and substance abuse-related consequences among students with varying levels of participation in intercollegiate athletics were examined. Between October 1994 and May 1996, 51,483 students at 125 institutions answered questions about their involvement in athletics, ranging from noninvolvement to participant to leadership positions, on the long form of the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey. In comparisons with nonathletes, both male and female athletes consumed significantly more alcohol per week, engaged in binge drinking more often, and suffered more adverse consequences from their substance use. No support was found for the hypothesis that athletic leaders were more responsible than other team participants in using alcohol. Male team leaders appeared to be at significantly greater risk than female team leaders; they also consumed more alcohol, binged more often, and suffered more consequences than other team members.

Alcohol use in the Greek system: follow the leader?

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to identify drinking patterns, consequences of use, and belief systems about alcohol among college students according to their level of involvement in campus fraternity and sorority life. METHOD: This study of 25,411 (15,100 female) students who completed the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, from 61 institutions, compared alcohol consumption, binge drinking, consequences of use and beliefs about drinking according to students' level of involvement in fraternities and sororities, ranging from no involvement to that of attending functions only, to active involvement, to leadership positions within Greek organizations. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that students in the Greek system averaged significantly more drinks per week, engaged in heavy drinking more often and, with minor exceptions, suffered more negative consequences than non-Greeks. The leaders of fraternities and sororities consumed alcohol, engaged in heavy drinking and experienced negative consequences at levels at least as high and in some cases higher than that of other Greek members. In terms of their views about alcohol, fraternity and sorority members believed that alcohol was a vehicle for friendship, social activity and sexuality to a greater extent than non-Greeks. The beliefs of the leaders did not stand out compared to other members. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to corroborating earlier reports that show that fraternity and sorority members use more alcohol than nonmembers, this study indicates that the leadership of Greek organizations are participating in setting heavy-drinking norms. Suggestions are made concerning targeting prevention programming efforts toward this group.

Understanding the three national databases on collegiate alcohol and drug use.

An overview of the three major databases used to examine alcohol and other drug use habits of American college students is provided. The databases are compared in terms of purpose, study population, subject selection, method of administration, focus, utility for institutional use, and trend analyses. The authors conclude that no one source of data is "best." Rather, the studies represent three different sources of data. Although information from these databases overlaps to some extent, each database makes a unique contribution to the field.

Weapon carrying and substance abuse among college students.

Results from administering the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey on 61 US campuses during the 1994/95 academic year were analyzed to assess weapon carrying among college students. Seven percent of the 26,225 students (11.1% of the men and 4.3% of the women) responded that they had carried weapons (gun, knife, etc) during the last 30 days. A comparison with a matched sample of nonweapon carriers revealed that a greater percentage of the armed than the unarmed students had experienced harassment, violence, and threats of violence, and that they felt less safe on their campuses. The weapon-carrying men consumed significantly more alcohol than their unarmed counterparts, and a higher percentage reported binge drinking, use of other drugs, and adverse consequences from substance abuse. Differences between armed and unarmed female students were not as clearly consistent in terms of substance abuse and consequences.

Average weekly alcohol consumption: drinking percentiles for American college students.

Data obtained from 44,433 students who reported the average number of drinks they consumed per week in response to the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey at 105 college campuses between October 1994 and June 1996 are discussed. The majority of the students indicated that, on an average weekly basis, they consumed little or no alcohol. Forty-eight percent of the students at 2-year schools and 38% of the students at 4-year schools reported consuming no alcoholic drinks per week. When responses from these students were combined with those of students who consumed only one drink per week, the total included 50% of the students at 2-year and 51% of students at 4-year colleges. Approximately 10% of the students reported they consumed 15 or more drinks on an average weekly basis. The authors provide a detailed table showing the cumulative percentages of student drinking at various levels and offer suggestions for clinical and programmatic intervention.

Alcohol use among college students in Scotland compared with norms from the United States.

Four hundred fifty-six undergraduates at a Scottish university completed the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, an instrument widely used in the United States to examine the nature, scope, and consequences of alcohol and other drug use on college campuses. The Scottish students were found to drink more frequently, consume more alcohol, and engage in binge drinking more often than their American counterparts. The Scottish students also demonstrated higher rates of hangovers, missed classes, and blackouts than the Americans, but the percentage of American students who had driven while intoxicated was greater than that of the Scots. Focus groups of students in Scotland and interviews with student affairs personnel and local officials indicated that student drinking is not generally viewed as a problem because extensive alcohol use appears to be part of Scottish culture and is readily accepted. Students reported that their drinking, other than in pubs, was spread out over time and was associated with eating and social activities. At student social events where alcohol was served, there was little evidence of loud, inappropriate, aggressive, or otherwise rowdy behavior; drinking appeared to be handled in a more controlled, safe, and responsible way than among US college students.

Data on sexual assault from the first 2 years of a comprehensive campus prevention program.

Since 1991, student affairs personnel on one university campus have implemented a comprehensive sexual assault prevention program that includes educational initiatives, revision of policies and protocols, modification of judicial hearings, and collection of data about incidents of sexual assault. In the first 2 years of the program, 65 separate incidents were reported, providing the largest single database yet reported by one campus. These incidents consisted of 43 rapes, 18 other sexual assaults, and 4 cases in which the nature of the incident was not indicated. Most of the assaults occurred on weekends, and slightly less than half of the incidents occurred on campus. In 25% of the on-campus assaults, the assailant used no identifiable form of pressure. Three quarters of the off-campus and seven eighths of the on-campus cases involved perpetrators who were known to the victims. In the on-campus situations, first-year students were found to be particularly vulnerable. Approximately one third of all victims were incapacitated because of alcohol consumption. Limitations of the study and implications of the findings are discussed, along with suggestions for prevention programming.

Beyond performance enhancement: polypharmacy among collegiate users of steroids.

The extremely low prevalence of steroid use among college students makes it virtually impossible to conduct analyses on any single college campus. By studying a cohort of 58,625 college students from 78 institutions that administered the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey in 1990 and 1991, a critical mass of 175 users on which it was possible to conduct statistical analyses was identified. Compared with a randomly selected group of nonusers, the steroid users reported consuming dramatically more alcohol and demonstrated higher rates of binge drinking. In addition, a significantly higher percentage of steroid users reported using tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, sedatives, hallucinogens, opiates, inhalants, and designer drugs. A higher percentage of steroid users than nonusers also reported experiencing negative consequences as a result of substance abuse, and a greater percentage of the steroid users reported family histories of abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Implications from the standpoint of student development are discussed.

Development of the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey: initial findings and future directions.

To assist universities in obtaining accurate information about the effectiveness of their efforts to prevent substance abuse, a committee of grantees of the US Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) developed an assessment tool known as the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey. This self-report instrument is designed to examine the nature, scope, and consequences of the use of alcohol and other drugs among college students. To date, the survey has been administered to nearly half a million students on 800 campuses, and the findings have been aggregated to create what is presently the largest national database on substance use in the higher education setting. The Core survey has often been used by campus health service personnel in assessment and programming efforts. This article describes the development and administration of the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey and provides a sampling of findings from the 1989-1991 FIPSE drug prevention group. This cohort included 58,625 students who completed the survey. Findings regarding consumption patterns, consequences of use, underage drinking, and regional differences are delineated, along with information regarding the future direction of Core survey projects.

Suicide attempts and threats on one college campus: policy and practice.

Because of a university policy requiring a mental health evaluation of every student who is cause for worry with respect to his or her own safety, the counseling center at the College of William and Mary has been able to examine almost all situations in which students are suicidal or thought to be suicidal. Over the course of 1 calendar year, counseling center clinicians recorded data on every case of students who attempted or threatened suicide or were otherwise of concern to residence life staff or faculty or administrators because of a perceived potential for suicidality. Sixty such situations, including 11 suicide attempts and 14 threats, arose. No completed suicides were recorded. The rate of suicide attempts was 14.5 per 10,000 students, and the rate of suicide threats was 18.4 per 10,000 students, a total of 32.9 cases per 10,000 students. Findings by race, gender, and class are outlined, although low base rates did not yield adequate statistical power to make comparisons practical within these groupings. The most prevalent risk factor found in suicide attempters was work or school failure; for suicide threateners, it was difficulty in a relationship; and for those found to be nonsuicidal, the major problem was social isolation. Follow-up therapy was the most frequently used intervention for attempts and threats, whereas instructions for using the emergency on-call system was the most used option in the otherwise worrisome cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Use of the mental health on-call system on a university campus.

Over the course of 1 calendar year, clinicians at a university mental health service collected data on every clinical case in which students presented after normal business hours or on weekends for urgent mental health consultation. During the year, 50 such incidents were recorded, which translated to a rate of 6.6 on-call events per year per 1,000 students. Students were primarily self-referred or referred by the student health center or residence life staff. Suicidal concerns, panic/anxiety, and depressive states were the three most common presenting complaints. Average clinician time per case was 1 1/2 hours, with sexual assault cases taking the most time per case, followed by substance abuse and suicidality. Follow-up outpatient counseling was employed in 76% of the cases. The results highlight the importance of on-call mental health services on college campuses.

Alcohol-induced sexual behavior on campus.

This study investigated the prevalence of alcohol-related sexual activity on campus. Since coming to college, 35% of the students had engaged in some form of sexual activity that was influenced by drinking. Because they had been drinking, 18% had engaged in sexual intercourse, and 15% had abandoned safe-sex techniques. For the categories any form of sexual activity and abandonment of safe-sex techniques, a significantly greater percentage of women were affected by alcohol use, but this was not true for sexual intercourse. The survey showed no significant differences between undergraduate and graduate students. All three variables showed a relationship with heavier alcohol use and with binge drinking. Academic excellence was negatively correlated with alcohol-induced sexual intercourse.

College health services should promote good Samaritan rules as part of university alcohol policies.

When a student or organization assists an intoxicated individual in procuring Safety and Security, local or state police, and/or professional medical assistance, neither the intoxicated individual, if a Dartmouth student, nor the individual or group who assists will be subject to formal College disciplinary action for (1) being intoxicated, or (2) having provided that person alcohol. This refers to isolated incidents only and does not excuse or protect those who flagrantly or repeatedly violate the College Alcohol Policy.