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. 2018 Oct;66(7):644-654.
doi: 10.1080/07448481.2018.1446438. Epub 2018 May 24.

Associations among trauma, depression, and alcohol use profiles and treatment motivation and engagement in college students

Brian Borsari  1   2 , Matthew M Yalch  1 , Paola Pedrelli  3   4 , Sharon Radomski  5 , Rachel L Bachrach  6 , Jennifer P Read  3
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Associations among trauma, depression, and alcohol use profiles and treatment motivation and engagement in college students

Brian Borsari et al. J Am Coll Health. 2018 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: This study examined how profiles of alcohol use and symptoms of common mental health disorders (depression and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) influenced the perceived need for and actual seeking of different types of treatment (for alcohol versus psychological distress) in college student drinkers.

Participants: Undergraduate students (n = 164) were assessed between September 2009 and August 2015.

Methods: We classified students into different symptom profiles using model-based clustering and compared these profiles on a variety of variables.

Results: The cluster model yielded three profiles: Low Risk (n = 66), Concomitant (n = 35), and Heavy Drinking (n = 63). Students in these profiles significantly differed in alcohol consumption, alcohol-related cognitions and problems, and perceptions of need and prior engagement in treatment.

Conclusion: A variety of strategies can be used to engage students experiencing heavy drinking and/or mental health problems into treatment on campus.

Keywords: Alcohol; PTSD; college students; depression; treatment seeking.

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Figure 1
Figure 1
Symptom severity profiles (T-scores).
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