College students rarely seek help despite serious substance use problems.
The prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) and aspects of the help-seeking process among a high-risk sample of 946 students at one large public university were assessed in personal interviews during the first 3 years of college. After statistically adjusting for purposive sampling, an estimated 46.8%(wt) of all third-year students met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for SUD involving alcohol and/or marijuana at least once. Of 548 SUD cases, 3.6% perceived a need for help with substance use problems; 16.4% were encouraged by someone else to seek help. Help-seeking was rare among SUD cases (8.8%) but significantly elevated among individuals who perceived a need (90.0%) or experienced social pressures from parents (32.5%), friends (34.2%), or another person (58.3%). Resources accessed for help included educational programs (37.8%), health professionals (27.0%), and 12-step programs (18.9%). College students have high rates of substance use problems but rarely recognize a need for treatment or seek help. Results highlight the opportunity for early intervention with college students with SUD.
Caldeira
Kimberly M
KM
Center for Substance Abuse Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
Kasperski
Sarah J
SJ
Sharma
Eva
E
Vincent
Kathryn B
KB
O'Grady
Kevin E
KE
Wish
Eric D
ED
Arria
Amelia M
AM
D000293:Adolescent; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult