{"id":249096,"date":"2025-01-07T16:57:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T21:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&p=249096"},"modified":"2025-01-10T08:54:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T13:54:15","slug":"more-than-half-of-college-students-report-alcohol-related-harms-from-others","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2025\/more-than-half-of-college-students-report-alcohol-related-harms-from-others\/","title":{"rendered":"More than Half of College Students Report Alcohol-Related Harms from Others"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore than Half of College Students Report Alcohol-Related Harms from Others\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

A new study sheds light on the often-overlooked consequences of college drinking. <\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
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January 7, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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More than half of US college students experienced alcohol-related harms caused by others, according to the first national probability-based survey of such harms conducted in 20 years. The findings, published in Drug and Alcohol Review<\/em><\/a> in December, shed light on how others\u2019 drinking affects students’ health, academics, and safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur research reveals the far-reaching and often overlooked impact of alcohol on college campuses,\u201d says study lead author Jih-Cheng (Jack) Yeh, a PhD candidate in health services and policy research at the School of Public Health. \u201cAlcohol-related harms extend well beyond the drinker, influencing the broader campus community. These harms disrupt lives, strain campus resources, and create ripple effects that touch every part of the university experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study surveyed more than 1,900 students at 46 colleges and universities across the United States. Researchers found that 53.5 percent of students reported experiencing at least one harm caused by someone else\u2019s drinking, ranging from verbal abuse and physical confrontations to academic disruptions and emotional distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results showed that more than half of college sophomores and juniors\u2014an estimated six million students\u2014reported experiencing at least one alcohol-related harm. Students who identified as White, cisfemale, transgender, gender-nonconforming, or of higher socioeconomic status, as well as those living with roommates, attending four-year institutions, or participating in Greek life or intercollegiate athletics, were at greater risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most commonly reported harm was babysitting drinkers (33.8 percent), followed by social harms such as physical or psychological distress (23.5 percent), sleep or study disruptions (15 percent), and verbal harassment (14.3 percent).\u00a0Other harms included being emotionally hurt\/neglected or feeling threatened\/afraid (13.1 percent), having unwanted sexual contact (5.1 percent), being physically assaulted (4.3 percent), and experiencing academic consequences such as dropping a class or transferring schools (3.1 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHeavy drinking among students causes collateral damage beyond the student drinkers themselves,\u201d says study co-author Pamela Trangenstein<\/a>, collaborator at Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute. \u201cIt is critical for the success and well-being of all students that we track, prevent and protect students from experiencing these harms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new study adds to a bevy of research highlighting the dangers of alcohol consumption, including a recent advisory<\/a> by the US Surgeon General that links alcohol consumption to seven types of cancer and suggests that alcohol beverages should display a warning label about this risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers recommend several strategies for mitigating alcohol-related harms, including place-based initiatives that reduce alcohol consumption in university housing, targeted interventions with members of Greek life and student athletes, and greater use of evidence-based strategies to reduce and prevent alcohol consumption, including screening with personalized and normative feedback, limits on happy hours and drink-price discounting, and raising state alcohol taxes. These measures, they argue, could help reduce not only the direct effects of alcohol misuse but also the collateral damage experienced by others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCollege drinking is sometimes seen as a rite of passage, but this rite has dangerous and harmful ripple effects,\u201d says study senior author David Jernigan<\/a>, professor of health law, policy & management at SPH. \u201cThere is much more that campuses and governments can do to better protect students from these harms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t