Alcohol-Related Emergency Department Visits Among College Students: A Scoping Review of Corresponding Injuries, Drug Use, and Sex Assigned at Birth

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Oliver, Abby
Area of Honors:
Science
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Robert J Turrisi, Thesis Supervisor
Beth Johnson, Thesis Honors Advisor
Michael A Russell, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
alcohol-related consequences
injury
alcohol
drugs
emergency department
college students
Abstract:
College students in the United States are more likely than their peers to engage in heavy episodic drinking. College students are also increasingly presenting to emergency departments for causes associated with alcohol use despite decreasing rates of alcohol use. The reasons for this trend are unknown. This scoping review aims to identify research gaps associated with alcohol-related emergency department visits among college students. The study examines the current literature on alcohol-related injuries, simultaneous alcohol and other drug use, and alcohol use interventions for trends associated with college students and emergency department visits. The study also examines international research on risky alcohol use behaviors to identify potential directions for future research. The scoping review identified several key research gaps. The majority of research involving alcohol-related emergency department visits does not differentiate between college students and their non-student peers. Of the studies that specifically identify alcohol-related emergency department visits among college students, only one was written within the past six years after the COVID-19 pandemic. Most research does not differentiate between the alcohol-related emergency department usage of college-age males and females, despite biological factors which may impact the behavioral aspects of alcohol use. Future research should aim to fill these gaps in the current literature. This may allow researchers to determine causes of college students’ increasing emergency department usage.