Alcohol use disorders and the use of treatment services among college-age young adults.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:This study examined the utilization of and the perceived need for alcohol
treatment services among college-age young adults (18-22 years) according to their
educational status: full-time college students, part-time college students, noncollege
students (currently in school with the highest grade level below college), and nonstudents
(N=11,337). This breakdown of young adults had not been addressed previously. METHODS:Secondary
analyses were conducted on data from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
RESULTS:Full-time college students (21%) were as likely to have an alcohol use disorder
as nonstudents (19%), but were more likely than part-time college students (15%) and
noncollege students (12%). Only 4% of full-time college students with an alcohol use
disorder received any alcohol services in the past year. Of those with an alcohol
use disorder who did not receive treatment services, only 2% of full-time college
students, close to 1% of part-time college students, and approximately 3% of young
adults who were not in college reported a perceived need for alcohol treatment. Full-time
college students were less likely than noncollege students to receive treatment for
alcohol use disorders. All young adults with an alcohol use disorder were very unlikely
to perceive a need for alcohol treatment or counseling. CONCLUSIONS:College-age adults
have a high prevalence of alcohol use disorders, yet they are very unlikely to receive
alcohol treatment or early intervention services or to perceive a need for such services.
Underutilization of alcohol-related services among college-age young adults deserves
greater research attention.
Type
Journal articleSubject
HumansAlcoholism
Health Surveys
Incidence
Cross-Sectional Studies
Attitude to Health
Community Mental Health Services
Reference Values
Socioeconomic Factors
Students
Adolescent
Adult
Educational Status
Health Services Needs and Demand
Health Services Accessibility
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
United States
Female
Male
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/20021Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1176/appi.ps.58.2.192Publication Info
Wu, Li-Tzy; Pilowsky, Daniel J; Schlenger, William E; & Hasin, Deborah (2007). Alcohol use disorders and the use of treatment services among college-age young adults.
Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 58(2). pp. 192-200. 10.1176/appi.ps.58.2.192. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/20021.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Li-Tzy Wu
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Education/Training: Pre- and post-doctoral training in mental health service research,
psychiatric epidemiology (NIMH T32), and addiction epidemiology (NIDA T32) from Johns
Hopkins University School of Public Health (Maryland); Fellow of the NIH Summer Institute
on the Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials.Director: Duke Community Based
Substance Use Disorder Research Program.Research interests: COVID-19, Opioid misuse,
Opioid overdose, Opioid use disorder

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