Adolescence is a period of growth, independence, and exploration, with increased curiosity and risk-taking behaviors (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021b). Evidence has shown an increase in mental health concerns during adolescence, including suicidal behaviors (CDC, 2023b; Plemmons et al., 2018; Yard et al., 2021), as well as…

Alcohol use, while common in college student populations, can bring about significant mental health and educational problems that have negative consequences (Harris et al., 2017; White & Hingson, 2013). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also result in significant impairment in academic settings (Kuriyan et al., 2012; Blase et…

In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic led to nationwide school closures, followed by a mandate for schools to reopen in 2020, posing challenges for ensuring both educational continuity and student safety. This paper presents findings from a mixed-method study involving ten campus principals in District A, South Texas, post-pandemic. Qualitatively, the…

Each year excessive alcohol use costs the United States (US) economy $250 billion and results in 95,000 deaths. Binge drinking is a form of excessive alcohol use and accounts for over 70% of these statistics. High-intensity drinking (HID), an extreme measure of binge drinking, is operationally defined as drinking twice the gender-specific binge…

High-risk sexual behaviors (HRSBs; e.g., having sex without protection against pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections) are a public health problem. HRSBs disproportionally impact college students and are associated with numerous negative outcomes, such as unwanted pregnancies. Alcohol use has been strongly linked to HRSBs in college…

Sleep is a vital human function, critical to health across the lifespan. However, college students report significant disturbances in sleep quality and sleep hygiene (ACHA, 2019; Moulin & Chung, 2016). The consequences of poor sleep include lower cognitive and executive functioning abilities (Honn et al., 2019; Whitney et al., 2015) and poorer…

It is widely accepted that physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and a lower all-cause mortality rate (Calestine et al., 2017). Therefore, healthy lifestyles, including regular physical activity, play an important role in illness prevention and overall life expectancy (Awudza, 2018).…

Excessive drinking is commonplace among college students and can lead to numerous negative consequences. Alcohol expectancies are a well-studied correlate of alcohol consumption, and greater understanding of expectancies in relation to drinking behavior and alcohol-related consequences could inform future assessment and intervention. Past research…

Adolescents are likely to experiment with risky behaviors, such as substance use, which can have implications lasting throughout their lives. Private schools, while not immune to substance use, tend to report lower levels of substance use among their students when compared to the adolescent population in general. This quantitative study focuses on…

Primary and secondary teachers in the United States are the most vital role in the education system yet they commonly experience burnout and low morale. This study examined the relationship between teacher self-care, burnout, and morale. Primarily, the study ascertained the educator's level of self-care and weather that level shared a positive or…

Sexual arousal is associated with increases in a variety of impulsive choices, such as engaging in unprotected sex, having sex with strangers, and more frequent sexual activity. Little is known about sexual arousal's association with impulsive choice for domain-specific outcomes using a laboratory measure of impulsive choice. This study…

While studies have shown a consistent association between athlete status and risk-taking behavior (RTB), comparatively little is known about the mechanisms that potentially account for the influence of athletic participation on RTBs. The current study tests a theoretical model linking sensation seeking to RTBs through the perception of risk and…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are highly prevalent and considered a global public health crisis (Forgash, 2015). ACEs are associated with toxic stress resulting in severe impairment of the cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems (Asmussen et al., 2020). Consequently, the ten categories of ACEs have been linked to multiple risk factors…

This causal comparative study examines if Addiction Studies (AS) courses affect college students' knowledge and behaviors surrounding substance use. There are two focus areas of this study. First, to examine if AS courses predict a change in drug and alcohol use behaviors in college students. Second, to gain an understanding surrounding a drug and…

Alcohol consumption and related negative consequences continues to be a systemic societal problem. College students are a population that has been identified as particularly high risk for a number of negative consequences as they are more likely to engage in binge drinking and heavy episodic drinking even when compared to same age non-college…