Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study
Background: Social norms have been associated with alcohol use in college populations; however, more research is needed to confirm the associations between social norms and a range of substance use behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study (Septem...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Epidemiologia |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3986/3/1/5 |
| _version_ | 1797471740192882688 |
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| author | Hans Oh Megan Besecker Jimi Huh Sasha Zhou Susan E. Luczak Eric R. Pedersen |
| author_facet | Hans Oh Megan Besecker Jimi Huh Sasha Zhou Susan E. Luczak Eric R. Pedersen |
| author_sort | Hans Oh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Social norms have been associated with alcohol use in college populations; however, more research is needed to confirm the associations between social norms and a range of substance use behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study (September 2020–December 2020), a non-probability sample administered online to college students. We used multivariable logistic regression to test for associations between respondents’ perceptions of substance use behaviors in their respective colleges and their own substance use behaviors, adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and international student status. Results: We found that those who overestimated the prevalence of alcohol use, cigarette use, cannabis use, and vaping were significantly more likely to use these substances when compared with those who did not overestimate. These associations persisted even when using different prevalence estimates of substance use, though some associations lost statistical significance when applying the survey weights to account for non-response. Conclusion: College students overestimated the prevalence of substance use in their respective colleges, even during the early stages of the pandemic when social interactions were limited, and these beliefs were associated with substance use. Future studies may test the utility of campaigns to alter perceptions of social norms and interventions that use personalized normative feedback to reduce substance use during pandemics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:52:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c017caaf083947578a924738c7597d26 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-3986 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:52:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Epidemiologia |
| spelling | doaj.art-c017caaf083947578a924738c7597d262023-11-24T01:08:00ZengMDPI AGEpidemiologia2673-39862022-01-0131424810.3390/epidemiologia3010005Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds StudyHans Oh0Megan Besecker1Jimi Huh2Sasha Zhou3Susan E. Luczak4Eric R. Pedersen5Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work, The University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USASuzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work, The University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USASuzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work, The University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USAPublic Health Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USADepartment of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USASuzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work, The University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USABackground: Social norms have been associated with alcohol use in college populations; however, more research is needed to confirm the associations between social norms and a range of substance use behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study (September 2020–December 2020), a non-probability sample administered online to college students. We used multivariable logistic regression to test for associations between respondents’ perceptions of substance use behaviors in their respective colleges and their own substance use behaviors, adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and international student status. Results: We found that those who overestimated the prevalence of alcohol use, cigarette use, cannabis use, and vaping were significantly more likely to use these substances when compared with those who did not overestimate. These associations persisted even when using different prevalence estimates of substance use, though some associations lost statistical significance when applying the survey weights to account for non-response. Conclusion: College students overestimated the prevalence of substance use in their respective colleges, even during the early stages of the pandemic when social interactions were limited, and these beliefs were associated with substance use. Future studies may test the utility of campaigns to alter perceptions of social norms and interventions that use personalized normative feedback to reduce substance use during pandemics.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3986/3/1/5alcoholtobaccocannabisvapingnorms |
| spellingShingle | Hans Oh Megan Besecker Jimi Huh Sasha Zhou Susan E. Luczak Eric R. Pedersen Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study Epidemiologia alcohol tobacco cannabis vaping norms |
| title | Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study |
| title_full | Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study |
| title_fullStr | Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study |
| title_short | Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study |
| title_sort | substance use descriptive norms and behaviors among us college students findings from the healthy minds study |
| topic | alcohol tobacco cannabis vaping norms |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3986/3/1/5 |
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