Injuries/Violence
Within-Person Associations Between Experiences of Violence and Victimization with Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among College Students Chloe Wilson* Marie-Claude Couture Chloe Wilson Erin Grinshteyn Rayna E Gasik Katherine P Theall
Background: Experiences of victimization and violence have been associated with substance use among young adults, but the literature assessing causal associations is limited. We aim to assess within- and between-person associations between daily experience of victimization and violence with alcohol and marijuana use among college students.
Methods: An ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study was conducted among 218 college students aged 18-25. Daily experiences of victimization (discrimination, bullying, microaggressions), violence (verbal threats, physical threats, or sexual assault), alcohol and marijuana use were assessed three times a day for 28 days. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of victimization and violence on alcohol and marijuana use, controlling for race, gender, sexuality, and time of week.
Results: Within-person results indicate that students experiencing bullying on a given day were at a greater risk of using marijuana that day (1.48; 95% CI: 0.09-2,86). Experiencing microaggressions on a given day was associated with an increased risk of drinking (0.82; 95% CI: 0.33-1.30) and marijuana use (1.07; 95% CI: 0.27-1.87). Those who experienced discrimination on a given day had an increased risk of drinking only (1.25; 95% CI: 0.39-2.1). Experiencing any form of victimization on a given day was associated with increased alcohol use (1.61, 95% CI: 0.98-2.24) that day. Those who experienced any form of violence on a given day were more likely to drink alcohol (0.89, 95% CI: 0.45 -1.33) and use marijuana (0.98, 95% CI: 0.24-1.73). Between-person associations were not statistically significant for any of the above models.
Conclusion: Young adults are more likely to use alcohol and marijuana on days when they experience certain forms of violence and victimization. Better understanding the consequences of experiencing violence or victimization on substance use could help target interventions for young adults.