During the first year of college, many college students living away from home either initiate or increase their use of alcohol and drugs. First-year college students are also at an increased risk of experiencing negative consequences related to alcohol and substance use such as high-risk sex behaviors, academic difficulties, and mental and physical health problems. Parents and caregivers play an important role in their children’s decision making, even after the transition to college, and may be a promising agent in university alcohol and drug prevention efforts. In this study, a handbook intervention (First Years Away from Home: Letting Go and Staying Connected) was developed to provide parents with the strategies needed to support students during their transition to college. The objective of this study was determine the effectiveness of the intervention on substance use outcomes among college students.
The study’s sample consisted of 919 parent-student dyads from incoming students at a university in the Pacific Northwest. The dyads were randomized to the intervention group (received handbook) or the control group (received no handbook). Each parent or caregiver and student independently completed a baseline survey during the spring semester of students’ senior year of high school and a follow-up survey during the fall of the first semester of college. The student survey assessed past 30-day use of alcohol, cannabis, and simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis. Parents were asked to report how often they spent reading the handbook and completing the handbook activities with their student. Data was analyzed using intent-to-treat logistic regression models.
Results of the data analysis showed the odds of 30-day alcohol use among the intervention group was 33% lower than among the control group. In addition, cannabis use was 28% lower in the intervention group, simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use was 26% lower, binge drinking was 27% lower, and heavy episodic drinking was 28% lower. Among those who reported never having used alcohol/cannabis at baseline, students in the intervention group had 55% lower odds than the control students of initiating alcohol use, 49% lower odds of initiating cannabis use, and 44% lower odds of initiating simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis. Parent engagement with the handbook strongly predicted all substance use variables except for heavy episodic drinking.
Takeaway: Parent handbooks focused on supporting students during their transition to college may be an effective intervention on substance use outcomes among college students