What percentage of college students report not drinking at all in the past year?
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On average, students experience an estimated total of 102 alcohol-related consequences, such as blacking out, being hung over, or missing work or school, due to drinking across their four years in college, according to a new study led by Penn State. The research also revealed that students who think their parents disapprove of the consequences of drinking are likely to experience fewer negative consequences from drinking during college. Show
"We often think of peers as having an influence on drinking behaviors, but we found that parents can make a difference, even after their child has left home," said Kimberly Mallett, research professor at the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Center and a clinical psychologist. The research team surveyed students at a large, public northeastern U.S. university about how many alcohol-related consequences they experienced and which predictors resulted in higher rates of consequences. Although the work was conducted at a single university, the researchers said the findings likely apply to students at all colleges and universities. The findings are published in the journal Addictive Behaviors. The team followed 1,700 students for four years, surveying them twice a year. The surveys included questions to determine the amount of alcohol students were drinking, as well as the total number of alcohol-related consequences students experienced across all four years of college, as well as questions about why people experience consequences and how they view them. Specifically, the surveys assessed the prevalence of 21 possible consequences from drinking and focused on whether they thought their parents would disapprove of 12 of those consequences, including blacking out, being hung over, or missing work or school due to drinking, said Shannon Glenn, Penn State doctoral candidate in biobehavioral health and the paper's lead author. The team found that the average number of alcohol-related consequences per student over the four-year period was 102. The amount of alcohol students drank impacted the total number of consequences they experienced. As drinking increased, so did consequences, Glenn said. The most common consequence, with 96.7% of respondents experiencing at least once during the four years, was 'having a hangover the morning after drinking.' This was followed by 'saying or doing embarrassing things,' which affected 96.1% of respondents at least once. Nearly 25% of respondents said they had 'been pressured or forced to have sex with someone because they were too drunk to prevent it.' "More than 70% of respondents said they 'needed larger amounts of alcohol to feel any effect,' which is concerning because this indicates increased tolerance to alcohol and is an early risk factor for developing an alcohol use disorder," said Mallett, who is a co-author on the paper. The surveys also assessed students' beliefs about how their parents would react to their drinking, by asking, "How would your mother/father respond if she/he knew you experienced [specific consequence] as a result of your drinking?" "The research shows that parents have an influence on students' drinking habits and whether they experience problems from drinking," Mallett said. Students who thought their parents would disapprove of alcohol-related consequences had fewer such consequences overall. A previous Penn State study found that students who think their parents approve of drinking may drink more. "Kids really look to their parents for guidance in a lot of ways even if they don't outwardly say it," Mallett said. She suggested these practices for parents:
"It's empowering for parents to know that they can make a difference," Mallett said. "For parents who have been permissive about drinking in the past, it's never too late to switch gears." Mallett also recommended that colleges develop protocols to identify individuals who are experiencing above average alcohol problems so they can receive intervention or treatment at earlier ages. The paper's co-authors are Robert Turrisi, Penn State professor of biobehavioral health; Katja Waldron, Penn State doctoral candidate in biobehavioral health; Michael Russell, Penn State assistant professor of biobehavioral health; and Racheal Reavy, technical architect and Tableau specialist with Silverline. As college students arrive on campus this fall, it is typically a time of new experiences, new friendships, and making memories that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately for many, it is also a time of harmful and underage drinking and of dealing with its aftermath—from vandalism, sexual assault, and other forms of violence to injuries and death. Rates and Consequences of College DrinkingAccording to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 52.5 percent of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month, and 33.0 percent engaged in binge drinking in the past month. NSDUH defines binge drinking as 5 or more drinks on an occasion for men and 4 or more drinks on an occasion for women. (NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration [BAC] to 0.08 percent—or 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter—or higher. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks [male], or 4 or more drinks [female], in about 2 hours.) In addition, 8.2 percent engaged in heavy alcohol use (defined by NSDUH as binge drinking on 5 or more days in the past month). These binge drinking and heavy alcohol use rates are both higher than for those not attending college.1 The consequences of harmful and underage drinking by college students are more significant, more destructive, and more costly than many parents realize. And these consequences affect students whether they drink or not. Researchers estimate that each year:
Early Weeks Are CriticalAlthough some students come to college already having some experience with alcohol, certain aspects of college life, such as unstructured time, the widespread availability of alcohol, inconsistent enforcement of underage drinking laws, and limited interactions with parents and other adults, can intensify the problem. The first 6 weeks of freshman year are a vulnerable time for harmful and underage college drinking and for alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year. Parents Can HelpAn often-overlooked protective factor involves the continuing influence of parents during the college years. Research shows that students who abstain from drinking often do so because their parents discussed alcohol use and its adverse consequences with them. During these crucial early weeks, parents can do a number of things to stay involved. Parents can help by:
Resources Are AvailableFor parents who want to discuss the consequences of drinking with their college students, a variety of helpful resources are available from NIAAA at https://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov. These resources include a parents’ guide that offers research-based information plus helpful advice on choosing the right college, staying involved during freshman year, and getting assistance if faced with an alcohol-related crisis. The website also provides links to alcohol policies at colleges across the country, an interactive diagram of how alcohol affects the human body, and an interactive alcohol cost calculator. Additionally, NIAAA’s CollegeAIM—the College Alcohol Intervention Matrix, available at https://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/CollegeAIM —is a booklet and website that helps schools and parents address harmful and underage student drinking by identifying effective alcohol interventions. For more information, please visit: https://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov 1 SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 6.21B – Types of Illicit Drug, Tobacco Product, and Alcohol Use in Past Month among Persons Aged 18 to 22, by College Enrollment Status and Gender: Percentages, 2018 and 2019. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29394/NSDUHDetailedTabs2019/NSDUHDetTabsSect6pe2019.htm#tab6-21b. Accessed December 8, 2020. 2 Methodology for arriving at estimates described in Hingson, R.; Zha, W.; and Smyth, D. Magnitude and trends in heavy episodic drinking, alcohol-impaired driving, and alcohol-related mortality and overdose hospitalizations among emerging adults of college ages 18–24 in the United States, 1998–2014. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 78(4):540–548, 2017. PMID: 28728636 3 Methodology for arriving at estimates described in Hingson, R.; Heeren, T.; Winter, M.; et al. Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18–24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annual Review of Public Health 26:259–279, 2005. PMID: 15760289 4 Muehlenhard, C.; Peterson, Z.; Humphreys, T.; Jozkowski, K. Evaluating the one-in-five statistic: Women’s risk of sexual assault while in college. The Journal of Sex Research 54(4–5):549–576, 2017. PMID: 28375675 5 Carey, K.B.; Durney, S.E.; Shepardson, R.L.; Carey, M.P. Incapacitated and forcible rape of college women: Prevalence across the first year. Journal of Adolescent Health 56(6):678–80, 2015. PMID: 26003585 6 Lawyer, S.; Resnick, H.; Bakanic, V.; Burkett, T.; Kilpatrick, D. Forcible, drug-facilitated, and incapacitated rape and sexual assault among undergraduate women. Journal of American College Health 58(5):453–460, 2010. PMID: 20304757 7 SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 6.23B—Alcohol Use Disorder in Past Year among Persons Aged 18 to 22, by College Enrollment Status and Demographic Characteristics: Percentages, 2018 and 2019. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29394/NSDUHDetailedTabs2019/NSDUHDetTabsSect6pe2019.htm#tab6-23b. Accessed October 1, 2020. 8 Wechsler, H.; Dowdall, G.W.; Maenner, G.; et al. Changes in binge drinking and related problems among American college students between 1993 and 1997: Results of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. Journal of American College Health 47(2):57–68, 1998. PMID: 9782661 What percentage of college students report drinking?Roughly 80% of college students – four out of every five – consume alcohol to some degree. It's estimated that 50% of those students engage in binge drinking, which involves consuming too much alcohol in too little time. Many young adults admit to drinking alcohol even before they enter college.
What percentage of college students reported that they abstain from drinking alcohol?who abstained from alcohol increased from 20% to 28% for those in college and from about 24% to 30% for those not in school, say researchers at the University of Michigan and Texas State University.
What percent of college students report having consumed alcohol in the last 30 days?A nationwide survey found that about 53% of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month and about 33% engaged in binge drinking during that same time frame.
What is the percentage of incoming college students who report being frequent drinkers?High-risk drinking is reported by 44% of college students, a number that is essentially unchanged from earlier studies, despite vigorous attempts at environmental and individual interventions (Wechsler et al., 2002).
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