Robert Wood Johnson Foundation results ‘encouraging’

2:59 p.m., July 20, 2005--The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant efforts at the University of Delaware led to a heightened awareness of the problems that alcohol created for students, both from their own drinking and from others’ drinking, according to Steve Martin, senior scientist with the UD Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies.

For example, Martin said, the number of students who reported missing a class due to their drinking declined from 39 percent in 1998 to 29 percent in 2003. The number who reported drinking made them get behind in their schoolwork declined from 32 percent to 23 percent.

Even more encouraging, Martin said, were the changes among students, in general, of experiencing the “second hand” effects of other students’ drinking. As seen in the following table, there were encouraging changes in these effects for: being insulted or humiliated, serious arguments, having property damaged and having study or sleep interrupted.

BOTHERED BY OTHERS’ DRINKING (second hand effects)	1998	2003
Been insulted or humiliated Had a serious argument or quarrel Had property damaged Had studying or sleep interrupted	35% 30% 21% 60%	25% 25% 14% 48%

Two final changes were among the most encouraging findings, Martin said. The percentage of students who reported they “drink to get drunk” declined from 69 percent in 1998 to 54 percent in 2003, and the percentage reporting that they ever thought they had a drinking problem increased from 6 percent in 1998 to 15 percent in 2003.

These numbers reflect some successes of the environmental approach at UD, Martin said, but added the project also led to the identification of many more students with alcohol problems, as indicated by involvement in the student judiciary system.

The table below provides the total cases of alcohol violations for 1998-99 and 2002-03, as well as alcohol-related recidivism brought before the Office of Judicial Affairs. In 1998-99, there were 948 cases of alcohol policy violation brought before the judicial system at UD. In 2002-03, there were 1,135 cases, an increase of 20 percent. Even more telling is the increase in the number of repeat offenders, which increased from 212 to 295, almost a 40 percent increase, Martin said.

He added that these increases are largely a function of increased enforcement rather than increased problem drinking, although both may be occurring. In all cases, he said, the result is that UD has identified many more students who are in need of assistance for alcohol-related issues. Unfortunately, the capacity for intervening with this high number of students has been limited. The increase in recidivism lends support to a growing need for helping students.

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