According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use, roughly three-quarters of those ages 18-25 have used substances in the past year. Alcohol is the leading substance, followed by illicit drug use second and tobacco third. Studies also suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental to mental health and has increased alcohol and other drug use among past year reporters. Polysubstance use and the prevalence of substance use among young adults make it crucial to have accessible preventive measures. The goal of this study was to expand research on the Substance Use Motives Measures (SUMM) by validating the factor structure of the SUMM in a sample of US college student substance users.
This study consisted of 143 college students, all at least 18 years of age, and answered yes to consuming alcoholic beverages on a prescreening survey. Data collection took place from September 2020 to July 2021. Demographics such as students’ age, gender, race, ethnicity, and academic classification were measured. SUMM, which is a 32-item self-report measure, was completed by all students. SUMM identifies eight distinct motives for substance use: Enhancement, Social, Conformity, Anxiety-Coping, Depression-Coping, Boredom-Coping, Self-expansion, and Performance. Alcohol use disorder test (AUDIT), cannabis use problems identification test, and youth risk behavior surveillance survey were completed by each participant as well.
Results of the study showed that AUDIT total scores were positively related to all motives except for Conformity. Drinking alcohol was not associated with Boredom-Coping, Self-expansion, or Performance, but all three of these motives were related to binge drinking and marijuana use. Overall, this study supports using SUMM as a broad measure of substance use motives. Due to the study’s small population size, more research is needed to assess different groups and for a larger sample diversity.
Takeaway: This study supports using SUMM as a broad measure of substance use motives among college students.