Unfortunately, college years are a time of higher risk for substance misuse and vulnerability for sexual victimization. A recent study investigated the influence that sexual victimization has on substance use behaviors among college students as they begin to transition out of college.
In this study, 480 college seniors completed surveys detailing their substance use. Five surveys were completed over the course of one year. They initially reported any experiences of sexual victimization as well as the age they were at the time of the victimization.
The results indicated that at the start of senior year of college, young adults who had experienced sexual victimization reported higher incidence of substance use and substance related negative consequences compared to those who had not had such experiences. Those who had been victimized over multiple ages consistently reported higher alcohol use, however those who had an isolated experience experienced declines in substance use as they transitioned out of college.
Take Away: Young adults who have experienced sexual victimization reported higher amounts of substance use and consequences at the start of senior year of college, and this behavior declined as they transitioned out of college. However, those who were sexually victimized in precollege and college years continued to report higher alcohol use compared to peers who had not experienced sexual victimization.
Blayney, J., Scalco, M., Radomski, M., Colder, S., Read, C. (2019). Sexual victimization histories and substance use trajectories during the transition out of college. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. doi.org/10.1037/adb0000489