Substance Use Among College Students: Correlations with Intent to Graduate, Academic Integration, and Social Integration

Substance use is one of the greatest concerns for adolescents and emerging adults. The consequences of prolonged substance use can lead to physical, psychological, and financial consequences for those suffering from use as well as their loved ones. One consequence that has not been researched thoroughly is the association between substance use and the decision to leave higher education, which is a decision that could have lasting effects on former students’ ability to obtain satisfactory employment in the future. This research looks at substance use and variables that are associated with the decision to leave college, which are derived from Tinto’s theory of student attrition. These variables are social and academic integration. Researchers used the Drug Use Screening Inventory and the Institutional Integration Scale to obtain data from 169 undergraduate college students from an introductory psychology course. Researchers hypothesized that there would be a negative relationship between substance use and academic integration. The results found were partially supportive of the hypotheses. The implications of these results as well as future directions for research are discussed