Social Influences on College Student Use of Tobacco Products, Alcohol, and Marijuana

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study investigated associations between the use of alternative tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, little cigars/cigarillos, hookah, e-cigarettes), alcohol, and marijuana among college students and use by their parents, siblings, and friends. A large literature exists for social influences on adolescent substance use, but few studies have focused on college samples. Participants: 3,418 college students from seven universities in the state of Georgia participated in this study. Methods: Web-based surveys were completed by students (45–60 minutes) during the fall semester, 2014. Results: Findings largely indicated specificity of associations between college student use and use by social influences for similar tobacco products and other substances. For each tobacco product or substance, the highest associations were for friends' use. Structural equation analyses further supported the specificity of associations and highlighted the relative strength of friends' use on student use. Conclusion: Similar to findings with adolescents, the use of alternative tobacco products, alcohol, and marijuana by parents, siblings, and friends is associated with higher levels of use among college students, and friends' use was the most potent correlate for this phase of the lifespan.

KEYWORDS:

• College students
• substance use
• parental influence
• sibling influence
• friend influence

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our Campus Advisory Board members across the state of Georgia in developing and assisting in administering this survey. We also would like to thank ICF International for their scientific input and technical support in conducting this research.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute (1R01CA179422-01; PI: Berg) and the Georgia Cancer Coalition (PI: Berg).