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OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether brief motivational interventions (BMIs) designed for reducing heavy drinking among college students have secondary effects on reducing marijuana use. METHOD: The data came from Project INTEGRATE, which combined data from 24 independent trials of BMIs and other individual-focused interventions designed to reduce heavy drinking and related problems among college students. We analyzed data from 10 samples across nine studies that used random assignment of participants into either a BMI or a control group and assessed marijuana use outcomes (N = 6,768; 41.5% men; 73.2% White; 57.7% first-year students; 19.2% current marijuana users at baseline). We derived three marijuana use groups within studies by cross-tabulating baseline and follow-up data: Nonusers, Reducers, and Stayers/Increasers. RESULTS: Peto's one-step odds ratio analyses for meta-analysis revealed no significant intervention effects on marijuana use at either short-term (1-3 month) or long-term (6-12 month) follow-up. Subsequent exploratory analyses showed that those who reduced drinking were more likely to be a marijuana Reducer or Nonuser, compared with a Stayer/Increaser, at both follow-ups. CONCLUSIONS: The BMIs to reduce heavy drinking evaluated in this study did not reduce marijuana use. However, our exploratory results suggest that if we can develop interventions for college students that effectively reduce drinking, we may also reduce their marijuana use. Furthermore, as recreational use of marijuana becomes legal or decriminalized and marijuana becomes more readily available, it may be necessary to develop interventions specifically targeting marijuana use among college students. Language: en

Emerging adults often begin making independent lifestyle choices during college, yet the association of these choices with fundamental indicators of health and adaptability is unclear. The present study examined the relationship between health risks and neurocardiac function in college drinkers.Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed at baseline and in reaction to a paced breathing challenge in 212 college drinkers (53.8% women). Basal HRV served as a general indicator of health. Reactive HRV (during paced breathing) was used as a marker of an individual's adaptability to challenge. The relationship of HRV to alcohol use, cigarette use, exercise, sleep, and body mass index (BMI) was assessed.Greater alcohol use and less exercise were associated with lower basal HRV. BMI was unrelated to basal HRV but was negatively associated with reactive HRV during the breathing challenge.High levels of alcohol use and lack of exercise are negative correlates of cardiovascular and general health, even in apparently healthy college drinkers. The negative relationship between BMI and reactive HRV suggests that overweight individuals have reduced ability to psychophysiologically adapt to challenges; understanding the temporal course of this relationship is needed. This study highlights the importance of examining HRV at baseline and in response to a challenge to capture the active neurocardiac processes that contribute to health and adaptive responding. The suppressive effects of health risks on HRV are modifiable; thus, HRV may be useful in evaluating the health benefits of lifestyle change and in promoting change behaviors in college drinkers.

The gender gap in alcohol use has been narrowing among young adults, while race differences in alcohol problems change throughout the life course, with Whites experiencing more problems before middle adulthood and Blacks experiencing more after. Yet, there is a paucity of research on the intricate relationship among gender, race, alcohol use, and alcohol problems in emerging adults. The present study addressed this gap in the literature.The sample included White (n = 14,772) and Black (n = 458) college students from multiple colleges across the United States (59% female; 51% freshmen; Mage = 20 years).With alcohol use levels adjusted for, women were more likely to report consequences related to damage to self and dependence-like symptoms than men. There were no significant race differences in either the type or the number of alcohol problems. Further, there was no Race × Alcohol Use interaction in relation to alcohol problems. We found a statistically significant interaction between gender and alcohol use in predicting alcohol problems, suggesting that, at higher levels of drinking, the risk for women to experience alcohol problems was significantly greater than that for men.The reverse race gap in alcohol use and problems may not surface until young adulthood or may not be relevant for those who attend college. College interventions should help both Black and White students reduce problems associated with drinking and focus on limiting harm among female students.

Little is known about the effects of alcohol-related infractions and resulting reprimands for invoking behavioral change among mandated college students. The primary aim of this study was to assess the extent to which students significantly reduce their drinking between the time of an alcohol-related violation and the sanctioned intervention.Data came from 175 (70% male) students mandated to the Rutgers University Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program for Students because of infractions of university rules about alcohol and drug use. At intake, students reported on their alcohol consumption for the 30 days before the violation and the 30 days before the intake assessment.Mandated students significantly reduced peak blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels, total weekly drinks, and frequency of alcohol use after the violation before any intervention. Those students who had received a legal or medical referral (i.e., a serious infraction) reduced their alcohol consumption (BAC and total drinks) significantly more than those referred by residence hall advisors.The alcohol-related violation (including the event itself, getting caught, and/or getting mandated to an intervention) contributes to reductions in alcohol use for mandated college students. The finding that the seriousness of the infraction resulted in greater reductions in alcohol use suggests that the students' cognitive self-appraisal and affective response to the incident may be underlying mechanisms for their changes. Knowing if mandated students have already made significant changes in their drinking before intake would provide counselors with a valuable opportunity to identify and reinforce successful harm reduction strategies and could inform the type or intensity of intervention needed.