Characteristics of students participating in collegiate recovery programs and the impact of COVID-19: an updated national longitudinal study

Abstract

The goals of the present study were to describe the development of the first national longitudinal study of collegiate recovery program (CRP) students; provide an updated characterization of CRP students’ demographics, past problem severity, and current recovery-related functioning; and examine the perceived impact of COVID-19 on CRP students’ recovery. Universities and community colleges with CRPs across the United States and Ontario, Canada, were invited to partner on this project. Launched in fall 2020, three cohorts of participants were recruited. All participants who completed the baseline survey (N = 334 from 43 CRPs) were invited to complete follow-up surveys. The sample was composed of mostly undergraduate, White, cisgender women averaging 29 years old at baseline. They reported challenging backgrounds, including high levels of polysubstance use, alcohol/substance problem severity, mental health challenges, and involvement with the criminal legal system. Despite such adversity, they evidenced high levels of recovery-related functioning. Recovery capital and quality of life were high. Students reported an average of nearly four years in recovery, with most having between two and four years of abstinence from their primary substance of choice. COVID-19 represented a substantial source of stress for many, impacting some students’ abstinence and recovery-related functioning. Results generally parallel findings from the only other national study of CRP students conducted a decade ago, providing a much-needed update and novel insights into CRP students. Findings can inform our understanding of the CRP student population and can be used to tailor CRP design and service offerings to students’ backgrounds and needs.

Keywords:

• Collegiate recovery
• recovery science
• addiction
• college students
• COVID-19

Acknowledgements

The National Longitudinal Collegiate Recovery Study Group consists of Tom Bannard (PI), Danielle Dick (Project Lead 2020–2022), Rebecca Smith (Research Coordinator), and members of the Recovery Science Research Collaborative: Jessica McDaniel, Austin Brown, Thomas Bannard, Jason Whitney, Waltrina DeFrantz-Dufor, Matt Statman, Anne Thompson Heller, Rebecca Smith, Erica Holliday, and Noel Vest.

We would also like to thank the members of the Recovery Science Research Collaborative, based at Kennesaw State University, who provided input and feedback on the survey and study design, and the Association of Recovery in Higher Education. Lastly, we would like to thank the Collegiate Recovery Program Directors for sharing this opportunity with students, and the students in recovery who participated. This study would not have been possible without your contributions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Open Scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badges for Preregistered. The materials are openly accessible at https://osf.io/pqw5x.

Notes

1 We note that cohort 2 was substantially smaller than cohort 1. This smaller sample size may be a function of multiple factors. The number of CRPs serving as recruitment sites did not change dramatically between initial data collection for the two cohorts; therefore, our total pool of potential new participants may have decreased between the time points. In other words, it may be that many of the existing CRP students were invited to participate and completed their baseline survey as part of the cohort 1 initial recruitment. This smaller sample size may also be a function of the timing of the cohort 2 initial recruitment (March 2021), as many of the CRPs operate on different academic calendars that may not align.

2 Although we measured abstinence from one’s primary substance of choice, we do not believe that abstinence is necessary or sufficient for recovery. Abstinence is simply the non-use of a substance; recovery is a lifestyle, identity, and method for achieving and maintaining wellness. Non-abstinent recovery is possible for some individuals.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services [1H79TI083296-01]. Rebecca Smith was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [F31AA028720]. Noel Vest was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse [K01DA053391] [L30DA056944].