Mentally healthy college students who felt a strong connection to their university were found to engage in binge drinking more than those who did not feel such a connection, as revealed by a recent study.
A new study indicates that students who experience a sense of belonging at their university are at a higher risk of binge drinking compared to those who do not feel this connection. The research was conducted by teams from Penn State, the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of Oregon.
Published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, the study involved scientists from the Penn State College of Health and Human Development. They discovered that mentally healthy college students who felt a sense of belonging at their university were more prone to binge drinking than their peers who felt less connected.
Stephane Lanza, a professor in biobehavioral health and the Edna P. Bennett Faculty Fellow in Prevention Research, collaborated with Danny Rahal and Kristin Perry, both of whom were postdoctoral researchers at the Penn State Prevention and Methodology Training Program. Their research focused on how both positive and negative aspects of mental health might contribute to the risks of binge drinking, cannabis, and nicotine use.
“In 2021, many students returned to campus after the COVID-19 shutdown, with a majority attending in-person classes for the first time,” stated Rahal, the lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “Data from that period indicated that many students felt disconnected from their universities. Schools aimed to enhance connectedness for various good reasons, but we aimed to investigate if a positive factor—like a sense of belonging—was linked to substance use. Our findings revealed that feeling connected to one’s university correlates with higher substance use rates.”
The researchers analyzed responses from 4,018 university students gathered during the 2022-23 academic year. Participants provided information regarding their substance use, sense of belonging to their institution, and mental health, specifically pertaining to anxiety, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, overall life satisfaction, and confidence in academic success.
Using a statistical method called latent profile analysis, the team was able to assess all these variables at once, categorizing student mental health into five distinct profiles. In this study, a student was deemed to have good mental health if they reported lower levels of stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, alongside higher levels of overall life satisfaction and academic confidence compared to their peers.
The results indicated that students with average or good mental health were more likely to binge drink in the past month if they felt connected to their university compared to those who did not feel such a connection.
The researchers clarified that this finding does not imply that connectedness is negative; instead, it presents a nuanced understanding of the issue.
“We want to encourage connectedness among students,” mentioned Perry, assistant professor of family and human services at the University of Oregon. “Connectedness fosters student involvement and can serve as a significant protective factor against adverse mental health outcomes, as well as help retain students in school. However, if binge drinking is a component of the university culture, connectedness may also lead to increased drinking behaviors.”
Although the researchers anticipated discovering a correlation between drinking and connectedness, they were surprised to find that students with poor mental health who felt a sense of belonging were more likely to use non-vaped tobacco than those with poor mental health who didn’t have that connection. Findings regarding cannabis use were less definitive, but a clear trend was observed.
“Generally, students who felt a bond with their university were more likely to use substances than their disconnected counterparts, even when mental health levels were similar,” Rahal noted.
While a sense of belonging was linked to increased substance use, researchers also suggest it may contribute to solutions.
“Promoting belonging for all students is vital as universities strive to embrace diversity and help every student succeed,” Lanza stated.
Despite the widespread prevalence of drinking on college campuses, many students overestimate the extent of alcohol consumption among their peers. The study revealed that just under one-third of students admitted to binge drinking in the previous month. Conversely, while two-thirds had not participated in binge drinking, many students believed the average student consumed three to five drinks on multiple occasions each week. This gap between perception and reality suggests an opportunity to reshape campus culture by providing students with diverse, alcohol-free social engagements, lessening the emphasis on drinking in university life.
Minority college students often encounter unwelcoming messages related to their race, gender, socioeconomic background, or other factors, according to the researchers.
“We cannot expect students to remain enrolled without active engagement in the campus community,” Lanza concluded. “If universities lose students from specific demographics, it diminishes campus diversity, shrinking the richness of the university community. Furthermore, students leaving miss out on educational and financial opportunities associated with a college degree. By offering diverse opportunities for all students to cultivate a genuine sense of belonging, we can enhance campus life and promote healthier lifestyles.”
This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Penn State.
