Recommended Reading

DECEMBER 2009 - JANUARY 2010

"Social Capital in the College Setting: The Impact of Participation in Campus Activities on Drinking and Alcohol-Related Harms"

Summary

Given the highly social nature of college campuses, social capital may have a strong influence on college student behavior.  Social capital, measured in this study by rates of volunteerism and participation in campus organizations and activities, may have a protective effect against experiencing harmful alcohol-related outcomes.

Researchers used data collected from 15,875 students across the country, to investigate the relationship (at both the individual and campus level) between participation in campus activities and student drinking behavior. The independent variables measured in the study were defined as participation in five types of activities/organizations: community service or volunteer work; Greek membership (fraternity or sorority); media organization; religious group; and varsity athletic team. The dependent variables in this study included alcohol abuse, alcohol consumption patterns, and drinking-related harms.

Key Findings

• Students who were part of a community service or volunteer organization were significantly less likely to report alcohol abuse and risk consumption patterns.
• The more time students spent per week volunteering, the fewer adverse drinking outcomes they reported.
• That said, participation in community service/volunteerism was not a significant protective factor at the campus level, and participation in a religious organization was consistently protective against harmful drinking outcomes at both the individual level and campus level.

• Greek membership and varsity athletic participation were risk factors (associated with greater consumption patterns and harmful outcomes) at the individual level.

Implications for Prevention Practice

Given the protective nature of volunteerism and religious group affiliation for reducing high-risk drinking and its negative consequences, prevention professionals should work to forge partnerships with leaders of these campus organizations to promote student involvement and encourage participation. Opportunities for collaboration on events and activities involving religious organizations, volunteer groups, or service learning initiatives should be explored.

This study also highlights the importance of developing prevention strategies specifically tailored to members of Greek organizations and varsity athletes.  Given the strong social networks these organizations often promote, they may lend themselves to group participation in community service activities that shift their focus away from high-risk behaviors.

Bibliographic Reference

Theall, K. P, DeJong, W., Scribner, R., Mason, K., Kessel Schneider, S., & Simonsen, N. (2009). Social capital in the college setting: The impact of participation in campus activities on drinking and alcohol-related harms. Journal of American College Health, 58, 15-23.

Access to Article

Interested in reading the entire article? Access to the article is available through a subscription to the Journal of American College Health, or articles can be purchased individually. Ask your university library if they subscribe to this journal. link to article