Around 600,000 college students in the United States are in recovery from a substance use disorder. Many colleges have collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) to offer support services, resources, community, and programing to college students to recovery to help them maintain recovery and obtain their degree. Studies have shown that people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community benefit from culturally specific, tailored recovery programs. However, many CRPs do not provide diverse pathways to recovery or address the oppression faced by students of color and LGBTQ+ students that impacts recovery. This study aims to build the capacity of students in recovery and diverse stakeholders (faculty, staff, student allies, university administrators, and healthcare providers) in the development of patient-centered outcomes and comparative effectiveness research (PCOR/CER).
The study’s sample consisted of 502 participants who attended capacity building activities focused on collegiate recovery . During these programs, input on future topics for collegiate recovery research was collected. These topics were then organized and discussed among a group of student patients and stakeholders using a deliberative democracy forum. Framing sessions identified 39 unique ideas for future research on collegiate recovery. These ideas were then analyzed using cultural domain analysis (CDA) to identify four clusters: pathways to recovery, barriers to recovery, campus contributions to recovery, and polarized ideas about substances. These clusters were used to develop an issue book that was then deliberated during forums with 77 participants.
As a result of the small group deliberations some general these surrounding collegiate recovery emerged. Nearly one-third of participants identified “barriers to recovery” as a top priority for future collegiate recovery research. Participants indicated the need for equal access to recovery support and resources and identified that social and cultural factors may contribute to treatment seeking. Others identified that many college campuses focus on harm reduction which often results in a lack of support for sober spaces and resources for those in recovery. Stigma and shame surrounding substance use disorders and limiting funding were also identified as a potential reasons for lack of attention to students in recovery.
Takeaway: Institutional support and development of collegiate recovery program tailored to social and cultural factors is crucial in maintaining recovery for college students.