First semester college experiences: Associations with substance use and mental health

Introduction

Substance use (SU) and mental health (MH) concerns often occur as students transition from high school to college and may be associated with first semester experiences.

Methods

Incoming first-year college students at a U.S., predominantly white, midwestern university were recruited for an intervention study. Participants reported on substance use, mental health, and college experiences at the end of their first semester of college (n = 781; 62.9 % female, mean age = 18.06 [SD = 0.24]; 77.2 % non-Hispanic white; 84.6 % heterosexual). Data for these current analyses were cross-sectional.

Results

Identifying as Black, Indigenous, or another Person of Color, as a sexual minority, or as female was associated with more challenging first semester experiences. Social experiences that represent more social engagement were associated with greater substance use. College experiences reflecting an easier transition were associated with fewer mental health concerns. Alcohol use moderated the relation between academic challenges and mental health with stronger associations found at greater levels of alcohol use.

Conclusions

First semester experiences were related to student mental health and substance use, suggesting the importance of early, targeted support for students to adjust to campus life.