Research & Resources

Precollege and College Qualitative examination of simultaneous Predicts Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms

Data collected from a study of college students attending a large public university in the Southeast was used to test the impact of interpersonal trauma (IPT) exposure (e.g., physical or sexual abuse/assault) prior to or during college on alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms at the beginning of college and changes in symptoms during college. Compared to those who experienced an IPT during college, those who experienced an IPT prior to college reported more AUD symptoms at the beginning of college and fewer changes in AUD symptoms during the first year of college. Those who experienced an IPT in the first 2 and last 2 years of college reported greater increases in symptoms in the first 2 and last 2 years of college, respectively. Findings suggest that prevention and intervention efforts for those who experience an IPT prior to or during college may be useful in reducing AUD symptoms during that time period.
This paper, “Precollege and New-Onset College Interpersonal Trauma as Predictors of Baseline and Changes in Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms During College,” was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in the Journal of interpersonal violence.

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