Sasha Zhou

American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) populations have the highest rate of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Binge drinking is a known predecessor of AUD and is prevalent in college-attending populations. However, little is known about the prevalence and risk factors related to AIAN college student binge drinking. The current study examines prevalence of binge drinking and association with socio-demographic features, other substance use, exposure to discrimination and feelings of belonging within collegiate institutions. Data were collected by the Healthy Minds Study. Present analyses were restricted to 2- and 4-year college attending students in the 2021-2022 academic year who identified as AIAN (n = 1383). We used descriptive, bivariate and multivariate Poisson weighted models to evaluate distributions and associations of binge drinking, age, gender, socioeconomic status, degree program, military experience, substance use, sexual assault, discrimination, and feelings of belonging within the institution. In the prior 2 weeks, 26.3% of AIAN students reported binge drinking. Binge drinking commonly overlapped with other substance use. AIAN students aged 21-34 reported the highest rates of binge drinking, as did students pursuing bachelor's degrees. AIAN students who identified as trans or queer gender were less likely to report binge drinking, while across gender identities those reporting sexual assault or racial discrimination were more likely to report binge drinking in multivariate analyses. There are multiple factors associated with binge drinking, representing individual and contextual influences on AIAN students. Developing prevention and intervention activities to address overlap in substance use and high concurrence of sexual assault and binge drinking are critical. Additionally, colleges must make concerted efforts to reduce racial discrimination and be more inclusive of AIAN students to reduce institutional-based features that exacerbate risk.

Background: Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) sexual and gender minority (SGM) young and emerging adults are an especially high-risk group to consider in mental health research, holding multiple marginalized identities & report discrimination based on race/ethnicity & immigration status at double the rate of overall SGM youth. There is a need for extensive national studies that capture the experience of AAPI SGM youth to comprehensively elucidate the mental health burden on this often-overlooked population in the COVID-19 era. This study aims to describe the national landscape of AAPI SGM university student mental health & treatment usage. Methods: We data from the Healthy Minds Study, conducted between September 2021-May 2022 (n = 89,255) across 133 campuses in the United States. We used bivariate analyses & cross-sectional logistic regression models to evaluate mental health symptoms, risk/protective factors, & treatment utilization across AAPI SGM students. Results: Preliminary findings indicate that 78% of AAPI SGM respondents report the presence of one or more positive screens for depression, anxiety, eating disorder, suicidal ideation, or non-suicidal self-injury. Among these students, approximately 57% report utilizing therapy or psychotropic medication. Experiences of discrimination & financial stress were the strongest correlates of mental health symptoms. Self-reported experiences of discrimination based on race, culture, & sexual orientation were associated with higher odds of treatment utilization for AAPI SGM domestic students but not for international students. Conclusions: The data underscore the need to consider the adequacy of current approaches in supporting AAPI SGM mental health, as well as unique ways to foster protective institutional & intrapersonal factors & increase investments to culturally responsive, gender-affirming treatment & prevention programs that address mental health disparities already looming in minoritized communities.

Psychotic experiences significantly predict suicidal behaviors; however, it is unknown whether these associations are conditional on sexual minority status. We analyzed cross-sectional data from the Healthy Minds Study (N = 109,975), which was collected between September 2020 and June 2021 from young adult (aged 18–34) students from across 140 colleges across the United States. Having psychotic experiences and sexual minority status were associated with significantly greater odds of reporting suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempt, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. We found significant interactions between psychotic experiences and sexual minority status, such that the relations between psychotic experiences and suicidal behaviors were stronger among heterosexual students than among sexual minority students. However, the interactions disappeared for suicidal ideation and plans after adjusting for socio-behavioral risk factors. Future research can explore whether psychotic experiences predict suicide attempts among sexual minority status behavior socio-behavioral risk factors.

Psychotic experiences have been framed as a marker of mental and physical health status; however, more research is needed to confirm these associations in university populations. We analyzed data f...

Background: Social norms have been associated with alcohol use in college populations; however, more research is needed to confirm the associations between social norms and a range of substance use behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study (September 2020–December 2020), a non-probability sample administered online to college students. We used multivariable logistic regression to test for associations between respondents’ perceptions of substance use behaviors in their respective colleges and their own substance use behaviors, adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and international student status. Results: We found that those who overestimated the prevalence of alcohol use, cigarette use, cannabis use, and vaping were significantly more likely to use these substances when compared with those who did not overestimate. These associations persisted even when using different prevalence estimates of substance use, though some associations lost statistical significance when applying the survey weights to account for non-response. Conclusion: College students overestimated the prevalence of substance use in their respective colleges, even during the early stages of the pandemic when social interactions were limited, and these beliefs were associated with substance use. Future studies may test the utility of campaigns to alter perceptions of social norms and interventions that use personalized normative feedback to reduce substance use during pandemics.