Concurrent drinking and smoking among college students: An event-level analysis.

Area of Science:

• Addiction research
• Behavioral science
• Public health

Background:

• College students are at high risk for alcohol and nicotine use disorders.
• Concurrent smoking and drinking is common in this population.
• Few studies examine factors influencing simultaneous smoking and drinking.

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine event-level associations between alcohol use and cigarette smoking.
• Investigate contextual factors influencing concurrent smoking and drinking in college students.
• Compare contexts of simultaneous smoking and drinking versus drinking without smoking.

Main Methods:

• 21-day electronic diary study of college students (n=86).
• Within-person analyses of situational contexts (environment, social setting, stress, urges).
• Event-level associations between alcohol use and cigarette smoking.

Main Results:

• Students drank more and smoked more cigarettes during drinking episodes when also smoking.
• Being with others (parties, bars) increased odds of smoking while drinking.
• Increased stress predicted a higher likelihood of smoking while drinking.

Conclusions:

• Social settings and heightened stress are significant risk factors for concurrent smoking and drinking.
• Future prevention and intervention efforts should address these contextual factors.
• Understanding situational influences is crucial for reducing co-occurring substance use in college students.