Stress and hazardous alcohol use: associations with early dropout from university.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: The transition to studying at university is associated with increased levels of both stress and hazardous alcohol use. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of these factors on first-year dropout from university studies. METHODS: Two complete cohorts of university freshmen at two homogeneous universities, one in the north and one in the south of Sweden, were asked to participate in an intervention study. Participants responded to a baseline questionnaire including measures of stress and alcohol use. Official university records showing dropout over 12 months were collected. RESULTS: A multivariate analysis established that high stress and admission to the northern university were associated with dropout from university studies, while symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as hazardous drinking were not. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to address the issue of stress associated with the start of university studies. It seems important to offer stress-reducing interventions, specifically aimed at reducing transitional stress, as soon as students start university.

Author information

Author/s: Andersson, Claes (C); Johnsson, Kent O (KO); Berglund, Mats (M); Ojehagen, Agneta (A);

Affiliation: Clinical Alcohol Research, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, Sweden. claes.andersson(-atsign-)med.lu.se

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Scandinavian journal of public health (Scand J Public Health), published in Sweden. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Sep; vol 37 (issue 7) : pp 713-9

Dates: Created 2009/09/02; Completed 2009/11/05;

PMID: 19700480, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/5/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.