(PS7-96) Do College Students Who Identify as Religious or Spiritual Have Less Substance Use? The Associations Between Spirituality or Religion, Alcohol Consumption, and Drug Use

Abstract Text: The transition from high school to college is associated with both increased use of alcohol and drugs and decreased religious involvement (Stoppa & Lefkowitz, 2010; White et al., 2006). A recurrent finding in large scale studies is that spirituality and religion (S/R) have generally negative associations with alcohol as well as other-drug usage (Kendler et al., 2003; Michalak et al., 2007). This pattern has been found among college students as well (Gomes et al., 2012; Stewart, 2001). In effect, it appears that greater S/R serves as a protective factor against substance use. What is less clear is if the protective effects are equal across substance categories among college students. We predicted that the associations between self-identified S/R and both alcohol use and other-drug use would be negative, but the association would be significantly stronger between S/R and other-drug use. Data is part of a larger, ongoing study (final N = 200) exploring alcohol and drug use, social anxiety, and sexual behavior in the college population. To date, the study has enrolled 76 participants (64.9% female; M age = 20.30; 74.3% White) from a private Catholic Midwest University. Alcohol and Drug use were assessed using the Timeline Follow Back and Past Year/Lifetime Drug Use questionnaires respectively (Sobell & Sobell, 1992). Participants indicated if they identified as S/R using a single yes/no item. Results demonstrated an average alcohol use of 16.26 standard drinks over the past month; 56.8% of participants reported lifetime other drug use, and that 67.7% identified as S/R. Contrary to predictions, the hypothesized association between S/R and alcohol use was not supported as only a non-significant trend emerged (r = -.221, p = .084). However, as predicted, results indicated a significant negative correlation between S/R and other drug use (r = -.266, p = .037). The current data suggest that the association between S/R and substance use may vary across different drug categories. As our data collection is ongoing, it is possible the predicted relations will emerge in the full sample. However, it is possible that alcohol use is viewed differently than other drug use and the social sanctions against use are less pronounced. Additionally, this research was conducted at a Jesuit affiliated university and 26.19% of those who identified as S/R also identified as Catholic. Notably, unlike some other faiths, Catholicism does not have prohibitions against alcohol use. Future research could investigate if these findings are consistent with college students who do not attend a Catholic institution.