Collegiate living arrangements represent a microcosm of the undergraduate experience and act as one of the ways in which the culture of the campus influences the individual student. Despite the overall campus norms on drinking, collegiate living arrangements vary greatly and can either encourage or discourage alcohol misuse. Grant funds are requested to examine the potential protective influence of pioneering residential learning communities (RLCs) in reducing alcohol misuse among first-year undergraduate students using a longitudinal panel design. RLCs were developed to enhance the co-curricular connections between formal learning opportunities and students' living environment; however, these RLCs also may provide a milieu that discourages alcohol misuse. The proposed target sample will include a total of 5,200 first-year undergraduate students living in either RLCs (n= 1,200) or traditional residence halls (n=4,000).
The specific aims of this study are: (1) To assess whether first-year students in RLCs exhibit less alcohol misuse and fewer alcohol-related consequences than first-year students in traditional residence halls; (2) To longitudinally examine the mechanisms by which RLCs may affect alcohol misuse and alcohol-related consequences. In particular, the study will investigate whether a relationship between RLCs and reduced alcohol misuse and alcohol-related problems operates via environmental factors (e.g. alcohol use by roommates) and/or individual characteristics (e.g. involvement with co-curricular activities); and (3) To determine subgroups of students who benefit most from RLCs. Characteristics of RLCs (e.g. single sex) will be examined by considering appropriate groupings and comparing the degree to which students within these subgroups exhibit decreased alcohol misuse and consequences. Additionally, individual characteristics (e.g. gender, ethnicity) will be scrutinized as possible moderators of RLC effects, by studying interactions between these potential moderators and RLC status. In partnership with a research awardee under RFA AA-03-008 and NIAAA staff, student participants will self-administer a survey at three points in time: (1) baseline during freshmen orientation prior to the first academic semester; (2) during the second academic semester at 6-month follow-up; (3) during the second year at 18-month follow-up. At each measurement point, participants will complete a set of measures that assess substance use behaviors and constructs addressed by RLCs.
