AOD Research Studies
Introduction to Research Subject and Rationale
Substance use continues to be a major public health concern, not only for communities across the nation, but also for higher education institutions and administrators. The harmful consequences associated with alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and the negative effects on students, families, campuses, and surrounding communities have been well documented in the substance use field.
Historically, a substantial amount of research has been conducted looking at the harmful effects of AOD) on college students and the related risks in the campus environment. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (White & Hingson, 2013), the following alcohol related consequences …show more content…
are reported for higher education students (ages 18-25) annually: over 1,800 students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries; 599,000 students injured yearly while under the influence of alcohol; 646,000 students were physically assaulted by another student who has been drinking; 97,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assaults, and 2.7 million drive under the influence (Hingson, et al. 2009). Furthermore, the review cites that annually 400,000 students have unprotected sex, 110,000 reported being too intoxicated to know if they consented to sex, and over 150,000 have alcohol-related health problems (Hingson, et al. 2002). Between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of college y students report they tried to commit suicide as a result of their drinking (Presley et al. 1998). About 20 percent meet the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence, yet only five percent of these students seek treatment (Blanco et al. 2008). Further studies report a 25 percent of students report academic consequences from drinking, i.e., missing class, poor performance on papers or exams, and lower grades (Engs et al. 1996; Presley et al. 1996a, b; Wechsler et al. 2002).
Add research about OD use…..
Numerous programs have been developed for higher education administrators, health education specialists, counselors, and other practitioners in order to prevent, reduce, and intervene with students’ AOD use. Research has also been well documented on programs that intervene with AOD use in college students in the fields of prevention and intervention (Cronce & Larimer, 2012, Saltz, 2012, Washburn, 2016), but less research has been conducted on Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and Collegiate Recovery Centers (CRCs), which have become to viewed as tertiary prevention programs. Primary prevention programs are those that seek to reduce the onset of injury or disease before it happens. Intervention programs, called secondary prevention programs, work to help identify or detect disease earlier so that intervention can be applied to an individual sooner. Tertiary programs, such as CRPs and CRCs, are those that work to soften the impact of a disease or illness that may have lasting effects for an individual. In the case of CRPs and CRCs, they offer services and programs that work to assist an individual succeed in their recovery.
Literature on Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and Collegiate Recovery Communities (CRCs) and the students in these programs is an emerging field of study, even though the programs have been around for over 30 years. Research on CRC’s and CRP’s has primarily focused on the students in these programs, who are a homogeneous group comprised of mainly white, males. The programs themselves vary in the scope, support, and services, which can include substance use free living residence floors on campus or substance free housing off-campus; outpatient or group therapy, intensive outpatient counseling services or Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), academic services, such as tutoring, and group support programs. Studies have examined recovery students who have graduated and looked at factors like relapse, support, and recovery (Washburn, 2016).
While there is more research being conducted on CRPs and CRCs and their students, there is currently no information in the literature about the barriers and opportunities that might affect individuals who are in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction as they transition to college. There is also no information on possible solutions or policies that might address the barriers and opportunities individuals in recovery face as they transition to college. The literature does examine college access barriers for students in general and possible program and policy solutions to address these barriers; however, it does not address students are in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. Authors, Page and Scott-Clayton (2016) recently reviewed the literature on access to college across the United States and identified four areas that were barriers and solution types of policies. These were “college costs and financial aid barriers, informational and procedural barriers, interventions aimed at easing academic transition to college – programs aimed at making sure they are ready academically, and affirmative action plans.” There is little information known about how access may be affected for an individual in recovery from substance use. Does having a drug charge affect their access or their college aid? If they previously dropped out or failed out of college due to alcohol or drug use, does that affect getting re-admitted? Are there programs or scholarships that assist students in recovery with payment? Do women in recovery have additional barriers returning to school if they have children? This study seeks to address this problem by identifying and addressing the barriers and opportunities for individuals in recovery from alcohol and drugs as they transition to college.
By assisting students in recovery gain access to college and possible degree attainment, this research may also have implications in helping students with relapse prevention and long-term recovery success. Research in the field has shown that certain factors can contribute to whether or not an individual will develop a substance use disorder of mental health illness. These factors are called protective and risk factors.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)(2015), risk factors are identified as characteristics that are associated with the likelihood of a negative outcome and protective factors are characteristics associated with the likelihood of a positive outcome in regards to an individual developing a substance use disorder.
Risk and protective factors exists in different contexts, including fixed versus variable factors, individual factors like genetics, relationships, community, and societal factors. For example, a variable factor for an individual could be income due to educational attainment. SAMHSA also reports that risk and protective factors are related and cumulative to one another. Risk factors are positively correlated to one another, meaning that individuals who experience risk factors are at greater risk of experiencing more risk factors, and they are negatively correlated to protective factors. Protective factors, such as educational attainment and risk factors like low socioeconomic status, which can be related to degree attainment can also affect relapse and recovery …show more content…
success.
Significance of Study
A great deal of research has been done on the harmful effects of AOD use by college students, along with prevention and intervention programs that have been designed to reduce AOD use by college students, but less research has been conducted on CRPs and CRCs, which are a new emerging field in the literature. These programs are seen by some researchers in the field as tertiary prevention programs, yielding another area of prevention for college campuses. Studies on CRPs and CRCs have examined the demographics of students participating in these programs, different types of these programs, steps to set up one of these programs, support methods in these programs, and how these programs assist students in recovery achieve success. Research has not yet studied the barriers and opportunities that affect individuals in recovery from alcohol and drugs as they transition to college. Research has also not examined possible solutions or policies that higher education administrators could implement to decrease the barriers and increase opportunities for students in recovery. Ultimately, this research could assist students in recovery with access to college, which may increase the likelihood of degree attainment providing a protective factor towards an individual’s recovery success
Purpose of the Study
The primary purpose of this study is to increases college access for students in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction by identifying and addressing barriers and opportunities that might affect them as they transitioning to college by surveying higher education administrators working in Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and Collegiate Recovery Communities (CRCs).
Research Questions
This study seeks to answer the following questions:
1. The primary question this study seeks to address is how can higher education administrators in CRPs and CRCs assist individuals in recovery as they transition to college.
2. What do administrators of CRPs and CRCs view as barriers for individuals in recovery transitioning to college?
3. What do administrators of CRPs and CRCs view as opportunities for individuals in recovery transitioning to college?
4. What actions can institutions take to reduce barriers for individuals in recovery transitioning to college?
5. What actions can institutions take to increase opportunities for individuals in recovery transitioning to college?
Tentative Methods
This will be a mixed-methods pilot study that will primarily use quantitative survey questions to identify barriers and opportunities that affect an individual in recovery from alcohol or drugs as they transition to college.
A survey instrument will be created by using information from individual interviews and focus groups with a small sample of students who are currently in CRPs and CRCs and administrators who are working in these programs. The questions in the interviews and focus groups will be designed using information found in the current literature, including, but not limited to, the barriers and opportunities that affect access to college, questions exploring students protective and risk factors in accessing college, steps to mitigate risk factors and increase protective factors, exploring the homogeneous demographic make-up of participants (primarily white males) in these programs and possible reasons why there are less females, looking at second chance policies that institutions might have for students to return to school, and additional steps that the participants feel colleges can take to increase access for individuals in recovery and assist with the transition into
college.
The information from the interviews and focus groups will be used to develop a survey. The survey will contain a demographic section that will be designed to examine the current demographics in CRPs and CRCs, i.e., sex, race, and socioeconomic status. The population for the study will consist of current higher education administrators working with CRPs and CRCs around the nation. Current students and administrators from a CRP and/or CRC will be used to validate the survey and to assess for clarity and purpose. The anonymous survey will be administered using Qualtrics and will be sent to participating CRPs and CRC affiliated with a national higher education recovery group, Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE). Participating in the survey will be voluntary and no identifying information or IP addresses will be collected.
Substance use continues to be a major public health concern, not only for communities across the nation, but also for higher education institutions and administrators. The harmful consequences associated with alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and the negative effects on students, families, campuses, and surrounding communities have been well documented in the substance use field.
Historically, a substantial amount of research has been conducted looking at the harmful effects of AOD) on college students and the related risks in the campus environment. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (White & Hingson, 2013), the following alcohol related consequences …show more content…
are reported for higher education students (ages 18-25) annually: over 1,800 students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries; 599,000 students injured yearly while under the influence of alcohol; 646,000 students were physically assaulted by another student who has been drinking; 97,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assaults, and 2.7 million drive under the influence (Hingson, et al. 2009). Furthermore, the review cites that annually 400,000 students have unprotected sex, 110,000 reported being too intoxicated to know if they consented to sex, and over 150,000 have alcohol-related health problems (Hingson, et al. 2002). Between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of college y students report they tried to commit suicide as a result of their drinking (Presley et al. 1998). About 20 percent meet the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence, yet only five percent of these students seek treatment (Blanco et al. 2008). Further studies report a 25 percent of students report academic consequences from drinking, i.e., missing class, poor performance on papers or exams, and lower grades (Engs et al. 1996; Presley et al. 1996a, b; Wechsler et al. 2002).
Add research about OD use…..
Numerous programs have been developed for higher education administrators, health education specialists, counselors, and other practitioners in order to prevent, reduce, and intervene with students’ AOD use. Research has also been well documented on programs that intervene with AOD use in college students in the fields of prevention and intervention (Cronce & Larimer, 2012, Saltz, 2012, Washburn, 2016), but less research has been conducted on Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and Collegiate Recovery Centers (CRCs), which have become to viewed as tertiary prevention programs. Primary prevention programs are those that seek to reduce the onset of injury or disease before it happens. Intervention programs, called secondary prevention programs, work to help identify or detect disease earlier so that intervention can be applied to an individual sooner. Tertiary programs, such as CRPs and CRCs, are those that work to soften the impact of a disease or illness that may have lasting effects for an individual. In the case of CRPs and CRCs, they offer services and programs that work to assist an individual succeed in their recovery.
Literature on Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and Collegiate Recovery Communities (CRCs) and the students in these programs is an emerging field of study, even though the programs have been around for over 30 years. Research on CRC’s and CRP’s has primarily focused on the students in these programs, who are a homogeneous group comprised of mainly white, males. The programs themselves vary in the scope, support, and services, which can include substance use free living residence floors on campus or substance free housing off-campus; outpatient or group therapy, intensive outpatient counseling services or Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), academic services, such as tutoring, and group support programs. Studies have examined recovery students who have graduated and looked at factors like relapse, support, and recovery (Washburn, 2016).
While there is more research being conducted on CRPs and CRCs and their students, there is currently no information in the literature about the barriers and opportunities that might affect individuals who are in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction as they transition to college. There is also no information on possible solutions or policies that might address the barriers and opportunities individuals in recovery face as they transition to college. The literature does examine college access barriers for students in general and possible program and policy solutions to address these barriers; however, it does not address students are in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. Authors, Page and Scott-Clayton (2016) recently reviewed the literature on access to college across the United States and identified four areas that were barriers and solution types of policies. These were “college costs and financial aid barriers, informational and procedural barriers, interventions aimed at easing academic transition to college – programs aimed at making sure they are ready academically, and affirmative action plans.” There is little information known about how access may be affected for an individual in recovery from substance use. Does having a drug charge affect their access or their college aid? If they previously dropped out or failed out of college due to alcohol or drug use, does that affect getting re-admitted? Are there programs or scholarships that assist students in recovery with payment? Do women in recovery have additional barriers returning to school if they have children? This study seeks to address this problem by identifying and addressing the barriers and opportunities for individuals in recovery from alcohol and drugs as they transition to college.
By assisting students in recovery gain access to college and possible degree attainment, this research may also have implications in helping students with relapse prevention and long-term recovery success. Research in the field has shown that certain factors can contribute to whether or not an individual will develop a substance use disorder of mental health illness. These factors are called protective and risk factors.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)(2015), risk factors are identified as characteristics that are associated with the likelihood of a negative outcome and protective factors are characteristics associated with the likelihood of a positive outcome in regards to an individual developing a substance use disorder.
Risk and protective factors exists in different contexts, including fixed versus variable factors, individual factors like genetics, relationships, community, and societal factors. For example, a variable factor for an individual could be income due to educational attainment. SAMHSA also reports that risk and protective factors are related and cumulative to one another. Risk factors are positively correlated to one another, meaning that individuals who experience risk factors are at greater risk of experiencing more risk factors, and they are negatively correlated to protective factors. Protective factors, such as educational attainment and risk factors like low socioeconomic status, which can be related to degree attainment can also affect relapse and recovery …show more content…
success.
Significance of Study
A great deal of research has been done on the harmful effects of AOD use by college students, along with prevention and intervention programs that have been designed to reduce AOD use by college students, but less research has been conducted on CRPs and CRCs, which are a new emerging field in the literature. These programs are seen by some researchers in the field as tertiary prevention programs, yielding another area of prevention for college campuses. Studies on CRPs and CRCs have examined the demographics of students participating in these programs, different types of these programs, steps to set up one of these programs, support methods in these programs, and how these programs assist students in recovery achieve success. Research has not yet studied the barriers and opportunities that affect individuals in recovery from alcohol and drugs as they transition to college. Research has also not examined possible solutions or policies that higher education administrators could implement to decrease the barriers and increase opportunities for students in recovery. Ultimately, this research could assist students in recovery with access to college, which may increase the likelihood of degree attainment providing a protective factor towards an individual’s recovery success
Purpose of the Study
The primary purpose of this study is to increases college access for students in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction by identifying and addressing barriers and opportunities that might affect them as they transitioning to college by surveying higher education administrators working in Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and Collegiate Recovery Communities (CRCs).
Research Questions
This study seeks to answer the following questions:
1. The primary question this study seeks to address is how can higher education administrators in CRPs and CRCs assist individuals in recovery as they transition to college.
2. What do administrators of CRPs and CRCs view as barriers for individuals in recovery transitioning to college?
3. What do administrators of CRPs and CRCs view as opportunities for individuals in recovery transitioning to college?
4. What actions can institutions take to reduce barriers for individuals in recovery transitioning to college?
5. What actions can institutions take to increase opportunities for individuals in recovery transitioning to college?
Tentative Methods
This will be a mixed-methods pilot study that will primarily use quantitative survey questions to identify barriers and opportunities that affect an individual in recovery from alcohol or drugs as they transition to college.
A survey instrument will be created by using information from individual interviews and focus groups with a small sample of students who are currently in CRPs and CRCs and administrators who are working in these programs. The questions in the interviews and focus groups will be designed using information found in the current literature, including, but not limited to, the barriers and opportunities that affect access to college, questions exploring students protective and risk factors in accessing college, steps to mitigate risk factors and increase protective factors, exploring the homogeneous demographic make-up of participants (primarily white males) in these programs and possible reasons why there are less females, looking at second chance policies that institutions might have for students to return to school, and additional steps that the participants feel colleges can take to increase access for individuals in recovery and assist with the transition into
college.
The information from the interviews and focus groups will be used to develop a survey. The survey will contain a demographic section that will be designed to examine the current demographics in CRPs and CRCs, i.e., sex, race, and socioeconomic status. The population for the study will consist of current higher education administrators working with CRPs and CRCs around the nation. Current students and administrators from a CRP and/or CRC will be used to validate the survey and to assess for clarity and purpose. The anonymous survey will be administered using Qualtrics and will be sent to participating CRPs and CRC affiliated with a national higher education recovery group, Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE). Participating in the survey will be voluntary and no identifying information or IP addresses will be collected.