Alcohol risks and harms: An analysis of university students’ engagement in hazardous and delinquent behaviours and experiences of harm

Consuming alcohol leads to a lowering of inhibitions and for some, an increase in aggressive and violent behaviour. As a result, those who have been drinking are more likely to engage in hazardous and ‘delinquent’ behaviours and cause harm to others. The extent to which university students engage in these behaviours while under the influence of alcohol is relatively under-investigated in Australia. Also unexplored is the extent to which these behaviours generate harm to other university students. As part of the Alcohol Use and Harm Minimisation Among Australian University Students project, university students in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria were invited to participate in the Alcohol and University Life online survey; over 3000 students responded. Respondents were asked to indicate how frequently they engaged in hazardous and ‘delinquent’ behaviours while under the influence of alcohol (eg went to work, drove a motor vehicle, stole money, physically abused someone) and also the extent to which they have experienced harm as a result of others’ drinking (eg property damage, sleep interruption, sexual assault). Results of this survey will be compared to findings from the AIHW National Drug Strategy Household Survey and the US Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study