Background: Drug use among college students is associated with adverse academic and health outcomes and risks to personal safety. Objectives: This study utilized data from a longitudinal study to estimate annual prevalence, cumulative lifetime prevalence, and incidence of ten types of drug use during the eight years after college entry and the average age of onset of each drug used. Methods: Participants (N = 1,253; 52% female) were young adults who were originally enrolled as first-time, first-year students at a university in the mid-Atlantic US. Annual personal interviews gathered data about the use of seven illicit drugs and three prescription drugs used nonmedically. Annual follow-up rates ranged from 76 to 91%. Results: Marijuana was the most commonly used drug in every year of the study, with the highest annual prevalence estimates in Year 3 (47%_wt). In Year 8, when the modal age of participants was 25, 29%_wt used marijuana during the past year. Nonmedical use of prescription drugs was more prevalent during college than in the later years of the study. Although the prevalence of cocaine and ecstasy use was low (cumulative prevalence estimates of 17%_wt and 13%_wt, respectively), incidence for these drugs was particularly high in the later years of the study. Conclusion: Drug use is prevalent among college students, and drug use persists among young adults, even after many have graduated college. More attention should be directed at identifying and intervening with students at risk for drug use to mitigate possible academic, health, and safety consequences.

Objective: This study evaluated variation in substance use and mental health among graduate student subgroups. Participants: A sample of 2,683 master’s and doctoral students completed an online survey in October 2017. Methods: Subgroup variation in behavioral health by demographic and program characteristics, particularly degree type and academic discipline, was explored. Results: Compared with academic doctoral students (ie, PhD students), professional doctoral students (ie, MD, JD, etc.) were significantly more likely to report high stress levels and moderate or severe anxiety symptoms. Master’s students were more likely to report moderate or severe anxiety symptoms and use marijuana than academic doctoral students. Students in the behavioral and social sciences, social work, and arts and humanities disciplines were more likely to use substances and report mental health problems than engineering and business students. Conclusions. These findings highlight graduate student subgroups who might require closer attention with respect to access to behavioral health services.

Objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to determine what older adults find most concerning about driving as they age and how these concerns are related to driving skill, behaviors, and experiences. Methods: In partnership with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, a sample of 751 older adults ages 65 and older completed an online survey between October 2017 and May 2018. A content analysis was used to code open-ended responses about driver concerns, and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between driving concerns and driving skill, behavior, and experiences. Results: Eighty-four percent of participants reported at least one driving concern, with 44% concerned about others’ driving, 34% concerned about their own driving, and 24% concerned about driving conditions. The most frequently mentioned driving concerns were other drivers in general, driving at night, visual ability and awareness, and other drivers being aggressive or reckless. Being concerned with their own driving was significantly associated with decreased perceived driving skill and increased odds of experiencing negative driving experiences in the past year. Being concerned about others’ driving was associated with increased odds of wearing a seat belt (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02, 7.00), having high perceived driving skills in emergency situations (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI, 1.14, 2.12), and getting in a near crash or collision in the past year (AOR = 1.50; 95% CI, 1.04, 2.18). Conclusions: Older adult drivers are frequently concerned about their own driving as well as the driving of others. Implications for future research and health practice are discussed.