Building a Systematic Intervention Plan for College Athletes Using Data on Drinking and Drug Use before College Entry

Introduction: Alcohol use among athletes can have negative effects on both performance and behavior, and is linked to injuries of all kinds. Social/recreational drugs, such as marijuana, are similarly suspected to impair performance and additionally carry the potential for athletic penalties and sanctions. Nonetheless, alcohol and social/recreational drug use among college athletes is common. Research into what drives substance use even in the face of drug testing and possible sanctions is needed to bolster existing prevention programs. This poster presents data from a cohort of incoming first-year college student athletes at a large NCAA Division I university. These data are from the first assessment point of a prospective longitudinal study that seeks to track health behaviors in athletes across the college years.

Method: Self-report surveys were completed by all incoming first-year NCAA collegiate athletes (N = 182) on campus during the summer prior to matriculation. The survey included items that assessed a variety of behavioral health topics, including items that measured average high school and past 30-day alcohol use, as well as lifetime use of social/recreational drugs and performance enhancing substances.

Results: The vast majority of student athletes entering college reported having consumed alcohol, with nearly 59% reporting binge drinking in the past 30 days.  More than a quarter of these incoming athletes also reported having used marijuana in their lifetime. Overall patterns of use are compiled to create risk profiles for clinical intervention.

Conclusion: Self-reported alcohol and other drug use history information can be used to screen for and intervene in problematic substance use behaviors prior to major negative consequences. Details of a systematic intervention plan being developed to (a) quickly identify those student athletes at highest risk upon program entry and match these student athletes with existing evidence-based interventions and (b) insure that all student athletes receive appropriate messages to curtail use and reduce associated harm are shared. The poster will also show evidence that prevention messages need to be aimed at teams as well as individuals and change across the college years.