Blog 14

"The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory and Application." Stress-related Alcohol Use Leads to Problem Drinking 18.7 (99). - Wiley Online Library. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1556-7559>.

This article is written by a group of authors from the Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory and Application.  The authors who are unlisted draw a correlation between increase drinking after graduating college and the use of drinking as a coping mechanism while in college.  Through their research they discovered that there was indeed a correlation between students who used drinking as a means to cope and the increased use of drinking and problems related to drinking after they had graduated.  In ebscohost the authors are unlisted so i assume it is from a large group of people operating under Brown University.  Basically the entire article pertains to my thesis paper but what struct a chord with me was the conclusion at the end of the paper which sums my paper up in a matter of sentences "As college students make the transition to post-college life, social motivations for drinking tend to drop away and a reduction in alcohol consumption occurs.However, those who drank to cope with stress are more likely than those who drank socially to continue to drink heavily and to experience negative consequences of alcohol consumption."

Blog 12

JOHNSON, VERONICA. "COLLEGE STUDENTS' STRESS UNDER CURRENT ECONOMIC DOWNTURN." College Student Journal 45.3 (2011): 536-43. Print.

The article is about the effects of stress on student and more exclusively the impact the current economic down turn has on students coupled with their already prevalent academic stressors. I could not find any information on the authors on GOOGLE but on the actual article they are stated as being doctors in their respective field which is the field of psychology and special services and they are based out of The University of El Paso Texas. “Economic stress has shadowed the already stressful college life and it adds on economic-induced stressors that require college students to use more coping energy”(541) This quote highlights the fact that economic stressors have an impact of college students and create problems because they have to cope with this stress as well as other stressors in college. “Senior college students face approaching graduation date and soon entry to job market. They are deeply influenced by the economic stress.” The most stressful situation in terms of the economic stressors is in students final year because they are entering this unstable job market and are faced with the facts that they may not be able to pay back th loans they have taken out. “The only exception is that freshmen reported higher economic stress than sophomores did. A possible explanation is that freshmen perceive a higher economic stress partially due to the transition from high school to college, while sophomores may have adjusted to college life and are less sensitive to economic and financial stability.”(540) This quote shows a finding that will have a strong presence in m paper because it deals with the fact that freshman year of college is an extremely stressful time because students have just taken on such a large financial burden accompanied by the fact that they have no acclimated to college yet.

Blog11

Ham, Lindsay S. "Positive Social Alcohol Outcome Expectancies, Social Anxiety, and Hazardous Drinking." Cognitive Therapy & Research 33 (2009): 615-23. Print.

This research article discuses the correlation between college drinking and the prevalence of social disorders. The article does not speak of sever social disorders but rather social disorders that are found quite often throughout the college population. The article also draws correlations between the increase or severity of social disorders and the increase in alcohol consumption. The students are using alcohol to sooth social situations. While this is no in direct opposition to my paper it shows the social aspect of drinking and draws correlations to the social situations present in college and the increase in drinking. I choose this article because when dealing with a something like alcohol abuse it is hard to find a source that will tell you in is a good thing. So I chose the article that had no relation to the presence of stress in college academia and the increase in drinking. The author is a well know doctor in the field of psychology. This publication was her dissertation she submitted in order to obtain her doctoral degree from the university of Nebraska.

Blog 10

My case is that the stressors faced within the first years of college including but not limited to heavy academic work load, change of living environment, a job or volunteer work and competition among students pertaining to grades cause a high level of stress which can lead to mental health problems and ultimately the increase in frequency and volume of drinking and drug use on college campuses. In the world of privatization so much emphasis is placed on education and grades there has been a shift from college as a life experience and a place where students would “find themselves” to a quick vocationally based training program. Privatization also creates financial strain for the lower income students who often have to a work a full time job to put themselves through school. Alcohol and drugs are well known to be a coping mechanism and i believe students are using them to an excess in order to cope with the stress of the college life of the new millennium

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10091960

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/stress-and-drinking/

http://www.doctordeluca.com/Library/AbstinenceHR/StressDrink05.pdf

Blog 9

This table shows the direct correlation between the five main type of drug use and the level of depression the person is feeling. As we can see from the graph the use of drugs greatly increase the level of depression in each circumstance

Blog 8

Lindsey, Billie J., Patricia Fabino, and Chris Stark. "THE PREVALENCE AND CORRELATES OF DEPRESSION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS." College Student Journa 43.4 (2009): 999-1014. Print

This study showed the percentage of college student that were clinically depressed as well as the possible factors as to why they were depress. Students who felt financial stress while in school were significantly more depressed as well as students who worked or volunteered. There was also a correlation between a students sexual orientation and their level of depression. But the part of this article that supports my paper is one where the researchers draw a correlation between the use of cigarettes, marijuana, and cocaine among cynically depressed students. While they didn’t not draw a conclusion between alcohol use they states that the possibility of a correlation between the two could existed but is diluted by the extensive drink on college campuses.”Students who worked and volunteered more hours reported feeling depressed more than students who worked and volunteered few or no hours. This finding warrants careful consideration of the impact of the current trend toward requiring more service learning in the college curricula.”(Billie, 1010) this quote strengthens my argument in part because my thoughts on college depression is that there is a strong correlation to outside stressors and the change of environment and a student being on their own for the first time in their life. “On the other hand, our study, like others, did find a correlation between depression and cigarette, marijuana, and cocaine use. The fact that use of these drugs is common among depressed students should alert medical and counseling staff to explore the possibility of depression with students who smoke and use other drugs.” (Billie, 1009) This quotation draws a correlation between depressed students and illicit drug use. This is the other half of my argument. That by being stressed by these circumstances of being on one’s own and having the pressure of college creates a higher tendency of drug use and abuse. “Students who identified as gay, lesbian, trans-gender, bisexual, or unsure were more than twice as likely to report depression than heterosexual students.” . Billie, 1011) lastly this quote also shows that he outside stressors of college and the need to be socially accepted also cause depression among college students which ultimately can lead to a higher rate of drug use among students.

Blog 7

Works Cited

Niebling, Ross,, and Ross,. "Sources of Stress among College Students." College Student Journal 33 (1999): 312-18. Print.

The reading is about the causes of stress among college aged students. It is based off a survey conducted called the SSS or Student Stress Survey. It shows the correlation between the stress of college and its effects on students.

The three authors have their PhDs in fields relating to th topic and have conduced other such surveys dealing with stress and the conditions which cause stress.

One key concept is that students who live on campus at college have a dramicatly different structure to their daily activities and life. This leads to students have higher levels of stress than their nonstudent counterparts. The other key concept is the difference between various types of stress. Certain types of stress can be motivational and actually help a student but other are detrimental and have a negative impact on the student’s life.

This material helps me explore my argument because it is the very essence of my argument or conversation. I am dealing with stress in a college environment and the correlation to drinking. To draw the correlation between the two subject I must first find out if students experience more stress than other cohorts and secondly I must research information on stress and drinking. Once I have completed research in both field I can then draw the correlation between the two entities.

Blog 6

Is their a higher occurrence of depression among first year undergraduates and if so, what are triggers for this depression and is this depression amplified by the consumption of alcohol and illicit use of drugs?

Works Cited

Dixon, and Kurpius. "Depression and College Stress Among University Undergraduates: Do Mattering and Self-Esteem Make a Difference?" Journal of College Student Development 13th ser. 49.5 (2008): 412-24. Print.

Heiligenstein. "Depression and Academic Impairment in College Students." Journal of American College Health 45 (1996): 59-64. Print.

Lopez, Frederick G., Vicki L. Campbell, and C. Edward Watkins. "Depression, Psychological Separation, and College Adjustment: An Investigation for Sex Differences." Journal of Counseling Psychology 33.1 (1986): 52-56. Print.

Peden, Ann R., Mary Kay Rayens, Lynne A. Hall, and Lora H. Beebe. "Preventing Depression in High-Risk College Women: A Report of an 18-month Follow-up." Journal of American College Health 49.6 (2001): 299-306. Print.

Vredenburg, Karel, Erin O'Brien, and Lester Krames. "Depression in College Students: Personality and Experiential Factors." Journal of Counseling Psychology 35.4 (1988): 419-25. Print.

Blog4

Privatization connects to my topic because with privatization creates and environment that is fueled by competition. This competition can lead to even more stress being placed on students because they feel the need to preform their best at all times.

Blog 3

I have been at Rutgers for four years and have a vast knowledge of the library system here. I have no questions for the librarian. But I must say that she is very involved and has a level of enthusiasm for the library that is not often seen and I think this is a really great thing. If I have any questions I look forward to having her answer them.

Blog 2

My topic has not changed since post one I am still very intrigued by the increase in depression during the change from high school to college as well as the use of drugs and alcohol which fuels this depression. I have done several google searches that have turned up a mass of information on drinking, drug use and depression among college students. It seems to me that there is a perfect storm of stressors and psychological changes that are apparent during the early twenties and late teens that cause depression in college students.

(1) Johnston, L.D.; O'Malley, P.M.; & Bachman, J.G. National Survey Results on Drug Use from the Monitoring the F uture Study, 1975-1994: College Students and Young Adults. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, in press.

This source seems to be a got for information on college drinking and the connection between drinking and depression.

There is no real controversy for my subject it seems to be that there is an over whelming majority that link depression to the departure from normal home life into college life and the use of drinking and drugs to cope with the stressors of life and mask depression.