What we know about students in recovery: meta-synthesis of collegiate recovery programs, 2000-2017

Abstract

As a relatively new field of practice, collegiate recovery programs (CRP), have used a practice-informed approach as a means of establishing best practices and pedagogy. While research on collegiate recovery programs and populations of students in recovery is growing, much of the qualitative studies have yet to be synthesized into a useful organizing matrix. This study utilizes meta-synthesis design to explore the leading qualitative research on student experiences in collegiate recovery. From this synthesis, researchers identified six metaphors from ten included studies from 2000–2017. The six metaphors of social connectivity, recovery supports, drop-in recovery centers, internalized feelings, coping mechanisms, and conflict of recovery/student status, support much of the preexisting practices and provide a critical framework for future program design, service delivery, and research.

Keywords:

• Addiction
• collegiate recovery
• meta-synthesis
• behavioral health
• higher education
• recovery

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express gratitude to the Association of Recovery in Higher Education for continued to provide a mechanism for organizing collegiate recovery programs and students in recovery in the United States; as well as being supportive of on-going research in the field. Many of us would not be researching today if it were not for the collegiate recovery programs we had access to as students ourselves.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.