Student counselors and prevention workers play an important role in alcohol prevention among students

With this factsheet, the Trimbos Institute aims to increase student counselors’ and prevention workers’ knowledge of alcohol use among students in higher professional education and university students. This enables them to play a key role in identifying and making (the harm caused by) alcohol use among students open to discussion. The factsheet presents figures on alcohol use among higher professional education and university students in the Netherlands and examines the factors associated with it. The figures come from the 2023 Monitor of Mental Health and Substance Use among Higher Education Students (MMMS) and additional analyses of these data.

These additional analyses showed, among other things, that risky drinking is associated with:

• being a victim of sexual violence
• experiencing physical violence
• Student debt exceeding €20,000
• being a member of a student association
• being a full-time student
• living away from home

The factsheet successively addresses:

• Why do students drink?
• What are the consequences of alcohol use among students?
• How common is alcohol use among higher professional education and university students?
• Which factors are associated with alcohol use among higher professional education and university students?
• Interpretation of the figures
• Guidance for action

Key points from the factsheet

• The 2023 Monitor of Mental Health and Substance Use among Higher Education Students (MMMS) shows that 85% of participating students had consumed alcohol in the past twelve months.
• Of the students who participated in the MMMS, 10 percent drink excessively, 16 percent heavily, 39 percent riskily, and 4 percent may be dependent on alcohol, for whom referral to an addiction care institution (IVZ) is recommended.
• Previous research has shown that the following factors are associated with alcohol use among students:
  • Mental health problems (e.g. symptoms of depression or anxiety, reduced life satisfaction and feelings of being tired of life);
  • Physical health problems (e.g. sleep problems, alcohol poisoning, brain damage, sexually transmitted infections and life-threatening diseases).
• The MMMS shows that the following factors are associated with risky drinking among students:
  • Sociodemographic factors (i.e. students who identify as male, are 16–25 years old, live away from home and do not have a migration background);
  • Study-related factors (i.e. studying full-time, membership of a student association and current student debt);
  • Other factors (i.e. being a victim of sexual violence and being a victim of physical violence).
• It is important for student counselors and prevention workers to be aware of the physical, mental and social consequences that students may experience as a result of their alcohol use.

The importance of student counselors and prevention workers

The Trimbos Institute points out that student counselors and prevention workers can be key figures in identifying and discussing alcohol use among students at an early stage. This allows them to support students and motivate them to stop, cut down or seek help. The factsheet contains tools and tips.

Source: Trimbos Institute.