Anxiety, Depression, Coping, Alcohol Use and Consequences in Young Adult College Students.

BACKGROUND: Young adult college students experience a high risk for heavy alcohol use and resulting consequences. Symptoms of anxiety and depression increase this risk. Coping style has been associated with alcohol use and consequences, with approach coping being inversely related to use and consequences, and avoidance coping being directing related to use and consequences. The purpose of this study is to examine whether coping style moderates or mediates the relationship between anxiety/depression and alcohol use and consequences. METHODS: 250 young adult college students ages 18 to 25 years (Women = 85, 34%) anonymously self-reported anxiety, depression, coping style, alcohol use and consequences. RESULTS: Path analysis showed that avoidance coping was positively related to alcohol use (ß = 0.33, p < 0.05), social consequences (ß = 0.39, p < 0.05), and personal consequences (ß = 0.26, p < 0.05), while approach coping was inversely related to use (ß = -0.20, p = 0.005). Coping did not moderate the relationship between anxiety and depression and alcohol use or consequences. Avoidance coping mediated the relationship between depression and alcohol use (ß = 0.14, p < 0.05), social consequences (ß = 0.16, p < 0.05), and personal consequences (ß = 0.11, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Findings build on alcohol use and consequences research, and support further research into implementing coping-based alcohol use interventions. Interventions aimed at reducing avoidance coping and increasing approach coping may be beneficial for young adult college students.

A simulated pedagogical intervention to educate nurse practitioner students about human trafficking.

ABSTRACT: Human trafficking (HT) affects an estimated 40.3 million people globally with 24.9 million people affected in forced labor and 4.8 million in forced sexual exploitation. An estimated 18,000 people are trafficked yearly into the United States. Reports suggest that between 63% and 87% of trafficked persons were seen by health care professionals and were unrecognized while in captivity. The authors designed and implemented an innovative pedagogical intervention for nurse practitioner (NP) students using a 10-min simulation-based education encounter with a standardized patient depicting a potential sex or labor HT clinical presentation. Results demonstrated that simulation-based education is a feasible way to provide HT education to NP students. It is imperative that future NPs receive education/training about HT to recognize potential victims and promote access to appropriate resources.

College students' experiences with substance use at electronic music events: A qualitative study.

Objective: To understand college students' experiences with substance use at electronic music events (EME), including harm-reduction strategies and receptivity to educational intervention.Participants: A purposeful sample of undergraduate students at a private Southeastern university was recruited from April 2019 to May 2019 using online advertising and in-person tabling.Methods: A qualitative, descriptive research design utilizing semistructured focus groups.Results: Five focus groups were conducted (n = 18). A thematic analysis revealed three main themes: substance use is commonplace; substance use and protective behaviors; and universities' role in substance education. Additional categories and subcategories were identified within each theme.Conclusion: Substance use at EME is a common experience for college students. Several challenges and opportunities exist for universities working to promote harm reduction practices. Prevention efforts should be event-specific, incorporate student input to engage learning more effectively, and work to reduce barriers that deter students from taking safety precautions when using substances.

Social norms and club drug use of young adult college students during Music Week.

Background: Young adult college students have high rates of substance use, theoretically related to social norms. Behavioral norms refer to the quantity of substances that students think others use, and attitudes refer to how much students or others approve of substance use. Prior research has shown a relationship between behavioral norms, student attitudes, and perceived parental attitudes and alcohol and marijuana use. However, the relationship between social norms and use of club drugs (e.g., MDMA) has not been studied.Objective: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to expand knowledge about young adult college student social norms and club drug use.Methods: 200 young adult undergraduates (Women = 97, 49%) were recruited from a campus recreational facility on a large private Southeastern university in April 2019. Students self-reported behavioral norms, student attitudes, parental perceived attitudes, club drug use during a typical week and during music week, and substance use consequences.Results: Logistic and negative binomial regressions showed that student attitudes were significantly related to club drug use in a typical week (OR = 2.07, p = .005), during music week (OR = 2.08, p = .001), and consequences of use (RR = 1.23, p < .001), but behavioral norms and perceived parental attitudes were not.Conclusions: Findings build on social norms research with alcohol and marijuana use. Attitudes may be more important to consider than behavioral norms or perceived parental attitudes for interventions to reduce club drug use.Young adults (18-25 years old) have a high risk for substance use; both alcohol and drug use increase throughout adolescence and peak in young adulthood.1-3 Young adults have high heavy episodic drinking (35% past month) and illicit drug use (25% past month), with greater MDMA use (10% vs 7%) and marijuana use (35% vs. 15%) than other adults.4 Alcohol and marijuana use has been linked to many negative consequences, such as blackouts, physical injuries, unprotected sex, and even death.5,6 Club drug use is also linked to negative consequences, such as memory lapse, headaches, loss of energy, trouble sleeping, depression, confusion, anxiety, irritability, nausea, and changes in heart rate and blood pressure.7,8.

Pilot randomized controlled trial using the theory of planned behavior to promote sexual consent of undergraduates in Greek-letter organizations.

OBJECTIVE: Sexual assault is prevalent among undergraduates in Greek-letter organizations (GLO). Prevention efforts promote sexual consent, though few explicitly employ theoretical constructs known to positively influence behavior. This study evaluated theory-informed educational posters promoting sexual consent seeking. PARTICIPANTS: Forty undergraduate GLO students (20 female, 20 male) were recruited through in-person, email, and social media solicitation. Data collection was completed March-November 2019 during the spring and fall semesters. METHODS: A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted. Intervention participants viewed theory-informed educational posters promoting sexual consent. RESULTS: The intervention group demonstrated more favorable consent intention (p = .024; η2 = 0.131) and consent subjective norms (p = .040; η2 = 0.109). Intervention group males showed a greater improvement in one of four consent attitudes (p = .045; η2 = 0.211). CONCLUSIONS: Brief exposures to theory-informed messaging may help to improve subjective norms and behavioral intent to seek sexual consent among undergraduate GLO members.

Inclusion of physical activity in nurse practitioner programs: A national perspective.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) provides a multitude of health benefits, creating an avenue for disease prevention and management. Health care providers play a crucial role in helping patients become more active, yet little is known about the preparation of primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) to aid in this effort. PURPOSE: To examine the amount and type of PA training offered in primary care NP programs in the United States. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study design was used. Eligible programs' websites were reviewed, and an online survey of program leaders assessed details regarding the inclusion of PA training, barriers, and future plans. RESULTS: Data extracted from 1,067 NP program websites revealed that 81.7% of websites (n = 264) with course descriptions contained one or more general health promotion keywords, whereas only 0.6% (n = 2) included a PA-specific keyword. Two-hundred institutions (53.2%) completed the program leader survey, of which 45.0% reported no inclusion of PA training. Among institutions providing PA training, 82.2% (n = 88) and 55.1% (n = 59) reported the inclusion of aerobic activity and strength training recommendations, respectively. Forty-one institutions (46.1%) felt that their institution prepared students to effectively counsel patients on starting a PA program. CONCLUSIONS: Although some NP programs include PA content, most provide no or less-than-adequate PA training. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The current state of PA training in NP programs may hinder health promotion and disease prevention efforts. Programs should dedicate sufficient time and attention to preparing future NPs to promote PA behaviors. A multifaceted, multistakeholder approach is needed to facilitate widespread adoption of PA inclusion.

Exploring the utility of nursing student-led health fairs: Educating the college population.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine public health nursing (PHN) students' experiences delivering peer-to-peer health education to college students during a health fair. DESIGN: A qualitative, descriptive research design was used. SAMPLE: Senior-level nursing students (n = 13) completing the clinical portion of a PHN course. MEASUREMENTS: A semi-structured focus group guide consisting of 10 questions and follow-up probes was used to elicit PHN student experiences. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic analysis technique. RESULTS: Five main themes were identified: (1) benefits of health fairs in general, (2) benefits of nursing-student-led health fairs, (3) negatives of nursing-student-let health fairs, (4) importance of interaction, and (5) suggestions for maximizing the potential of nursing student-led health fairs. CONCLUSIONS: Although challenges exist, PHN students experienced several benefits from the provision of peer-to-peer health education. College campuses represent a unique clinical site that allows nursing students to utilize their insider status to better assess, understand, and provide tailored health education to the college community. This clinical site has shown to provide positive experiences for nursing students and is critical in developing essential nursing skills and building confidence for future clinical rotations.

Implementation of Lifestyle Modification Program Focusing on Physical Activity and Dietary Habits in a Large Group, Community-Based Setting.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle modification programs improve several health-related behaviors, including physical activity (PA) and nutrition. However, few of these programs have been expanded to impact a large number of individuals in one setting at one time. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether a PA- and nutrition-based lifestyle modification program could be effectively conducted using a large group format in a community-based setting. METHOD: One hundred twenty-one participants enrolled in a 16-week, community-based lifestyle modification program and separated in small teams of 13 to 17 individuals. Height, weight, fruit and vegetable (FAV) consumption, physical fitness, and several psychosocial measures were assessed before and after the program. RESULTS: Significant improvements in 6-minute walk distance (+68.3 m; p < .001), chair stands (+6.7 repetitions; p < .001), FAV servings (+1.8 servings/day; p < .001), body weight (-3.2 lbs; p < .001), as well as PA social support and eating habits self-efficacy were observed. Our lifestyle modification program was also successful in shifting participants to higher levels of stages of change for nutrition and PA, increasing overall levels of self-efficacy for healthy eating, and improving levels of social support for becoming more active. CONCLUSIONS: A lifestyle modification program can be successfully implemented in a community setting using a large group format to improve PA and FAV attitudes and behaviors.

Translation of lifestyle modification programs focused on physical activity and dietary habits delivered in community settings.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle modification programs (LMPs) can provide individuals with behavioral skills to sustain long-term changes to their physical activity (PA) levels and dietary habits. Yet, there is much work to be done in the translation of these programs to community settings. PURPOSE: This review identified LMPs that focused on changing both PA and dietary behaviors and examined common features and barriers faced in their translation to community settings. METHODS: A search of multiple online databases was conducted to identify LMPs that included participants over the age of 18 who enrolled in LMPs, offered in community settings, and had the goal of improving both PA and dietary behaviors. Data were extracted on participant demographics, study design characteristics, and study outcome variables including changes in PA, dietary habits, body weight, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: We identified 27 studies that met inclusion criteria. Despite high levels of retention and adherence to the interventions, varying levels of success were observed in increasing PA levels, improving dietary habits, reducing body weight, and improving clinic outcomes. CONCLUSION: LMPs addressing issues of PA and dietary habits can be successfully implemented in a community setting. However, inconsistent reporting of key components in the translation of these studies (participant recruitment, utilization of behavioral strategies) may limit their replication and advancement of future programs. Future efforts should better address issues such as identifying barriers to participation and program implementation, utilization of community resources, and evaluating changes across multiple health behaviors.

Optimizing the US-AUDIT for Alcohol Screening in U.S. College Students.

This study examined cutoff scores on the new (2014) US-AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), adapted for U.S. standard drinks. No studies have examined optimal cutoff scores on the US-AUDIT for college students. 250 undergraduates (65% men) completed the US-AUDIT. At-risk drinkers reported at least four binge drinking episodes per week. Likely alcohol use disorder was assessed with a self-report diagnostic measure. Using the Youden method, the ideal cutoff to identify at-risk drinkers for the US-AUDIT was 5 for men (sensitivity = .93, specificity = .96) and 6 for women (sensitivity = .77, specificity = .86); and to identify likely alcohol use disorder was 13 for men (sensitivity = .69, specificity = .81) and 8 for women (sensitivity = .83, specificity = .80). Cutoffs were lower than the original AUDIT. Different US-AUDIT cutoffs for men and women should be used for likely alcohol use disorder, which may reflect differences in drinking quantity and frequency. Empirical guidelines for alcohol screening with the new US-AUDIT may be used to enhance research or identification of at-risk drinkers in college settings, or for college students in primary care or other health care settings.