A new study examined how social fraternity involvement in college relates to substance use behaviors and substance use disorder symptoms during young adulthood and early midlife. Baseline data was obtained from samples of 18-year-old high school seniors (n = 15,680) who had participated in the Monitoring the Future study and was continuously obtained using surveys across seven follow-up waves until they were 35 years of age. The surveys included a series of questions regarding demographics, substance use behaviors, binge drinking, cigarette smoking, marijuana use, other illicit drug use, nonmedical prescription drug use, substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms, college student status and fraternity or sorority membership or residence. The authors used logistic regression models to assess how membership in fraternities and sororities between the ages of 19 to 24 was associated with substance use across eight waves between the ages of 18 to 35 and SUD symptoms at age 35. Results showed that male participants who lived for at least one semester in a fraternity house had greater odds of past two-week binge drinking across ages 18 to 35 in comparison to peers who were members but did not live in a fraternity house, who attended college and were not involved in fraternities, and who did not attend college. These participants also had greater odds of past year marijuana use in comparison to peers who attended college but were not involved in fraternities and who did not attend college. They also had greater odds of past year other illicit drug use, but had lower odds of past 30-day cigarette smoking in comparison to males who did not attend college. Similarly, female participants who lived for at least one semester in a sorority house had greater odds of past two-week binge drinking but lower odds of past 30-day cigarette use across ages 18 to 35 compared with their female peers who were only members of sororities, who attended college, and who did not attend college. These participants also had greater odds of past year marijuana use when compared with female participants who did not attend college. Participants who lived for at least one semester in a fraternity house had higher odds of reporting symptoms of alcohol use disorder (AUD) at age 35 in comparison to their peers. Those who lived in a sorority for at least one semester had higher odds of reporting symptoms of AUD and lower odds of other drug use disorder (ODUD) symptoms at age 35 when compared with their peers who did not attend college.
Take away: This study found that participants who had lived for at least one semester in a sorority or fraternity house had higher odds of reporting symptoms of alcohol use disorder during early midlife.
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