Behavior of Undergraduates: Substance Use and Mental Health Concerns

Kryzsko Commons Ballroom

College is a period of time in which young people are often on a journey of self-discovery. Discovering oneself at this age may lead to new social relationships, experimenting with substance use, and experiencing mental health difficulties. The primary goal of this study was to assess the connection between undergraduate college student's levels of substance use and their mental health concerns. The hypothesis of this study was that college students who had higher levels of mental health concerns would also have higher levels of substance use. This was proven to be nonsignificant but there was a significant finding between increased levels of substance use and more social support. A sample of (n=103) students at a Midwestern university completed an online survey. This survey asked students about marijuana use, alcohol use, mental health concerns, and perceived social support. In order to examine differences between substance users and non-users, an independent sample t-test was used. The analysis confirmed the hypothesis that students who used substances reported higher levels of social support.