Substance use continues to be a major public health concern, not only for communities across the nation, but also for higher education institutions and administrators. The harmful consequences associated with alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and the negative effects on students, families, campuses, and surrounding communities have been well documented in the substance use field.
Historically, a substantial amount of research has been conducted looking at the harmful effects of AOD) on college students and the related risks in the campus environment. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (White & Hingson, 2013), the following alcohol related consequences …show more content…
Risk and protective factors exists in different contexts, including fixed versus variable factors, individual factors like genetics, relationships, community, and societal factors. For example, a variable factor for an individual could be income due to educational attainment. SAMHSA also reports that risk and protective factors are related and cumulative to one another. Risk factors are positively correlated to one another, meaning that individuals who experience risk factors are at greater risk of experiencing more risk factors, and they are negatively correlated to protective factors. Protective factors, such as educational attainment and risk factors like low socioeconomic status, which can be related to degree attainment can also affect relapse and recovery …show more content…
A survey instrument will be created by using information from individual interviews and focus groups with a small sample of students who are currently in CRPs and CRCs and administrators who are working in these programs. The questions in the interviews and focus groups will be designed using information found in the current literature, including, but not limited to, the barriers and opportunities that affect access to college, questions exploring students protective and risk factors in accessing college, steps to mitigate risk factors and increase protective factors, exploring the homogeneous demographic make-up of participants (primarily white males) in these programs and possible reasons why there are less females, looking at second chance policies that institutions might have for students to return to school, and additional steps that the participants feel colleges can take to increase access for individuals in recovery and assist with the transition into